Father Jean Jacques Corbeil gave the name Moto Moto (fire fire) in honour of Bishop Joseph Dupont, nicknamed “moto moto” by his African friends. Bishop Dupont opened up missionary work of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) in northern Zambia where he worked from 1885 to 1911.

The official opening of the museum took place in 1974, when it became one of the National Museums of Zambia run by the National Museums Board of Zambia. As a collection, however, its history dates back to the 1940s when the late catholic priest, Father Jean Jaques Corbeil from Canada, came to do missionary work as a white father in 1943. Over the years, Father Corbeil collected cultural artefacts from the northern part of Zambia for study and posterity. 
 

The growing collections were stored at Mulilansolo Mission up to 1964, then it was moved to Serenje up to 1969 and then to Isoka. In 1972 the Diocese of Mbala donated a plot of land and a former carpentry and bricklaying workshop at St. Paul’s School-Mbala to serve as a museum. The National Museums Board established through Parliament, cap. 267 of 1966 of the laws of Zambia, manages the museum. NORAD, DANIDA, German government and others not mentioned have financed the building of extensions at the museum. 

MISSION

a) National Museums Board

To establish, manage and develop national museums on sustainable basis for the preservation and interpretation of movable heritage for the benefit of the present and future generations.  

b) Moto Moto Museum

To collect and preserve Zambia’s cultural and natural heritage for posterity, to study and correctly interpret the heritage for enjoyment, public awareness and education through exhibitions and publications. 

COLLECTIONS’ COMPOSITION.

The bulk collection of the museum is in the fields of Ethnography and Art, Prehistory (Archaeology), History and Natural History. Most of the collection is of cultural nature from the Northern and part of Central Zambia due to the history of the museum. The Prehistory collection provides a record of Kalambo Falls’ findings, a place of archaeological interest. It was there that the oldest evidence of the use of fire by man, south of the Sahara was found.