Nhabe Museum (Botswana)

Based in Maun, Botswana, Nhabe Museum is more of a gallery than a museum. ‘Nhabe’, is the Bushman name for the sound of cattle pulling their feet through mud. This small museum is housed in a historic building built by the British military in 1939. It was used as a surveillance keeping tabs on the Germans in Namibia during World War 2. The museum is a small venue that constantly has exhibitions that often showcase the art of local students. It has a collection of artefacts which include music instruments and hunting tools.

The museum contains an interesting collection of objects representative of Ngamiland, the northwest part of Botswana. The collection includes hambukushu baskets, fishing nets, bayei skin of pangolin and iguana, shotguns on display. Nhabe Museum has in its collection of traditional clothes used for ritual or dance, and the musical instruments involved in those dances.

A small art centre also allows visitors to observe the weavers, potters at work creating some of the artwork available for sale. The museum welcomes donations to help expand its collection.

It is open to members of the public weekly from Monday to Saturday at 09h00am until 16h30pm.