The hidden treasures in Philately Museum

Mpho Tlale | Friday August 22, 2014 13:05

 

Located in Main Mall at Poso House, Botswana Post houses a hidden treasure in the form of a museum that is known as the Botswana Post Philately Museum.  This museum is a few years older than Botswana and tells the story of before and after the country’s independence through a vast display of stamps. The stamps show Botswana from the time of the discovery of diamonds to the way of life in general that includes men ploughing with cattle at the fields, women weaving baskets, children walking to school, chiefs and prominent buildings amongst others. Botswana Post head of communications, Lebogang Bok, said that early activity of the Philately Museum could actually be traced back to the protectorate era when it was still based in Lobatse prior to its relocation to Gaborone in 1961.

She pointed out that in the process of the relocation a decision was then taken to separate the collection of artefacts that were kept at the Philately.  The artefacts were divided as they found new homes in three locations that are the National Museum, National Archives and the Philately Museum.  

According to Bok, the decision to separate the artefacts was to manage risk in case the historical records were to be lost through natural disasters such as floods, fire and poor record keeping amongst others.  Another reason behind the separation was to also give the public more access points to the sources of historical wealth.

“On average the museum receives about 20 visitors daily.  We also host groups of between 20 and 50 from time-to-time, especially from schools,” she said.   Bok stated that it is mostly collectors who know about philately, and not many people know it to a level that they as Botswana Post would actually be content with looking at historical importance.

She mentioned that this is the reason that they tirelessly continue to promote the museum as a place of interest in Gaborone for both locals and tourists through schools, corporate bodies and organisations such as Brand Botswana, Botswana Tourism Organisation and private tour operators.

Bok said that the significance of the Philately Museum to Botswana lies in the fact that it carries a large amount of the history of the country dating back to the pre-protectorate era. 

For Botswana Post, she said the museum tells the full story of their journey as an organisation and the significance of postal services to the society as the only means of communication at the time.

Bok’s take on the stamps that are on display at the museum is that people can learn a lot from them should they give themselves the chance to visit the place.   She pointed out that the stamps displayed in the Philately Museum tell stories and raise issues from independence such as the fact that when Botswana used Rands and Cents.

In addition she said displayed stamps in their timeline from past to present.

“Stamps in the past have also featured traditional artefacts such as baskets, tools and weaponry, which boast of the people’s mastery in beautiful crafts. Also of intrigue and legend are stories told by stamps of rock paintings thought to have been done by the earliest inhabitants of the land, Basarwa, a couple of millennia ago,” she said.

Touching on the issue of stamp collection, Bok pointed out that the practise is still limited to few Batswana who have had the opportunity to either encounter it when they were younger or those who have known someone whose hobby is philately.

She revealed that not many Batswana are aware of stamp collecting and their level of interest continues to drop because of things such as emails and advances in technology. Although she could not put people who collect stamps in a category she was, however, able to say that stamp collectors come from all walks of life and range from university professors, researchers and artists among others.  Her belief is that there are various reasons as to why people develop an interest in stamps because some start to appreciate the value of the stamp market while others appreciate the significance of various themes such as birds, fauna and flora as well as locomotives amongst others.

She said that the importance of stamp collection goes a long way. 

“Stamp collecting is a very interesting hobby that educates and teaches people about different topics from countries around the world. It is also a long term investment for collectors as they have the opportunity to sell their stamps to international collectors for amounts ranging from hundreds to millions of Pulas”, she said.

She added that Botswana Post continues to introduce stamps and raise awareness on different sectors of society.  Botswana Post recently launched a new range of stamps titled ‘Domestic Animals in Botswana’ as a part of their Commemorative Stamp Issue for August.  Prior to ‘Domestic Animals in Botswana’ the recently launched stamp issues were ‘Spectacular Birds and Lions of The Chobe’.

The ‘Domestic Animals In Botswana’ issue consists of six stamps: Four stamps with cattle, goats, chickens and donkeys that depict rural life and two stamps of cats and dogs shown in an urban setting.