By Kari Mutu
Restrictions due to
the coronavirus pandemic have hit museums and art galleries all over
the
world hard as visitors stay home. However, digital technology is
offering a solution through virtual tours.
Google Arts & Culture has over 2,500 museums on its platform, including the Nairobi National Museum.
Featured on Google
Arts are some of Kenya's famous archaeological discoveries and
collections, East African birds and mammals, and a selection of
contemporary art.
Also on the
platform is the region's oldest mosque, the Great Mosque of Kilwa
Kisiwani in Tanzania, which is also a Unesco world heritage site.
The Iziko South African National Gallery, which showcases the country's African, Indian and Dutch heritages, is also online.
I saw its cultural
textiles, traditional adornments, sculptures and contemporary paintings.
I also read about ancient rock art in the semi-autonomous country of
Somaliland.
Discovered in 2007,
the white and red paintings of people and animals date back to 3000BC. I
also took a virtual tour of the Africa section of the British Museum in
London, which offers realistic views of its galleries.
This year was
supposed to herald the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, said to be
the largest archaeological display in the world.
The opening has
been postponed to 2021 because of the pandemic. But since early April,
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has provided virtual tours
of the various archaeological sites.
Panoramic photos
bring to life the beautiful Tomb of Menna cut into rocks in Luxor of
Upper Egypt. The Louvre Museum in Paris, France has three virtual tours
of Egyptian artefacts.
Virtual tours may only offer a snapshot of a museum's collection but it should whet your interest for a real visit.
No comments :
Post a Comment