Nigeria celebrates International Museum Day
The day has been celebrated since 1977. It is an occasion to raise awareness on the importance of museums in the development of society. On this day, museum professionals enlighten the public on the challenges that museums face around the world. Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate the day with the gathering […]
The day has been celebrated since 1977. It is an occasion to raise awareness on the importance of museums in the development of society. On this day, museum professionals enlighten the public on the challenges that museums face around the world.
Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate the day with the gathering of friends of the museum at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture, Abuja.
This year’s event was celebrated with fun fare as art works, long preserved historical artefacts and other cultural objects were exhibited..
To add colour to the day, there was also a photo exhibition showcasing Nigeria’s historical treasures. The pictures dated back to the slave trade era.
There were also drama presentations and cultural performances to the delight of all.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed said that the day is meant to create public awareness on the roles of museums in developing societies and called on Nigerians to support the museums established as custodians of invaluable heritage.
“Nigeria has a lot to celebrate in terms of growth, creativity and achievement anchored on eight thousand years of Nigerian art. It is time to pause, recall and reflect on our journey so far. Our works of art reflect our unique talents and achievements for posterity. These works made by our ancestors are there for budding artists and all workers to learn from and excel. The museums, therefore, bridges the past in its exhibitions,” he said.
He therefore enjoined Nigerians to support the museums established as custodians of our invaluable heritage.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director General National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman said that this year’s theme of “Museum and Memory” focusing on the role of museums as keys to memory, adding that this is achievable through the collections and other museum services and products.
The NCMM helmsman described museums as the central bank of cultural resources and a collection of memories about man’s ways of life, his achievements and progress over time which links the past and the present and projects the future.
“Exhibits communicate with the viewers and offer deep moments of thought and reflection around them. They provide insights and understanding about our identity as a people, where we are coming from and possibly where we are heading to. For a wise man once said, a people without a history are a people with no future and therefore a lost generation. Museums are therefore invaluable and priceless,” he said.
He added that recently the Commission has made deliberate efforts in promoting relationships to build and strengthen capacities in preservation and exhibitions and bilateral relationship between Nigerian museums and other institutions within and from other parts of the world through collaboration.
He said, “Through international cooperation and understanding, we have been able to repatriate some of Nigeria’s cultural objects from Europe. Also, Nigerian exhibitions have continued to invoke enthusiastic response in South Africa, Austria, Algeria and Japan. The celebration today is all about us discovering our individual and collective memory as a people. An exhibition to help us realize this has been put up as part of the museum day celebration.”