“Simba, look at the stars OR a day at the Planetarium” by Marie

I love museums!  Love em’ and can’t get enough of em’!  I was fortunate enough to visit the National Gallery last weekend; it featured a fantastic exhibition about Earnest Cole’s apartheid era photography (some of which I had already seen at the apartheid museum in Johannesburg).  So, this weekend I decided to visit the South African Museum and Planetarium.  Considering how far up it is in my guidebook’s “Things to Do” list, I had high hopes for the place, which lies at the end of the Company’s Garden (just past the Delville Wood Memorial).  With all of the affecting humanitarian issues that tug at my heartstrings every day, it was nice to visit a place that displays some of humanity’s higher achievements versus its shame.  It always brings a smile to my face when I enter a place where I am met with fascinating aspects of the world that people want to learn more about and preserve.  The museum was an interesting mélange of natural history and featured everything from ancient rock art to the wonders of the ocean. 

One of the museum’s sponsoring organizations is the Save Our Seas Foundation, which presented a video with beautiful cinematography about sharks and the myth behind the prevalence of shark attacks.  The aquarium at the Waterfront (which I visited last month) also features a similar exhibit about sharks along with posters featuring the line: “Last year 652 people were killed by chairs. 4 people by sharks.”  Why the concern to bust the myth?  Apparently, the stigma about sharks is affecting the shark population quite negatively.  Because people view sharks as a threat, they are less likely to worry about those breeds of sharks on the endangered species list and show little concern when pollution affects natural shark habitats.  The Save Our Seas Foundation shark exhibit aims to promote the protection of sharks as beautiful and highly misunderstood creatures which will only attack after human provocation.  I only wish that everyone eager to go cage shark diving would view the exhibit and reconsider their plans because the practice (as cool as it may seem) is actually very harmful to sharks. 

On a lighter note, my museum experience concluded with a stunning show about the ancient Egyptian pyramids at the planetarium.  By far, it was my favorite part of the museum and I would gladly return any day!  Lying back in the soft reclining planetarium chair, I was able to look up and view the sky (projected onto the domed ceiling) as the ancient Egyptians had seen it four thousand years ago!  The presentation (an hour in total) explained the movement of the stars since ancient times and related the startling accuracy with which the Egyptians were able to build their pyramids in nearly perfect geometric alignment with certain religiously-significant stars.  I am in awe of the ingenuity and intellect of ancient Egyptian builders whose achievements provide proof that calculators are overrated!  I recommend the museum to anyone who has an interest in the natural world, or even Africa in general, as all of the exhibits and displays appropriately address some aspect of the ever-captivating African continent.