Museum Day: Archeologist tasks Museum Commission on constant research to improve collections

Museum Day: Archeologist tasks Museum Commission on constant research to improve collections

Research

By Taiye Olayemi

Lagos, May 21, 2019 (NAN) Dr Kolawole Oseni, an Archeologist, on Tuesday advised the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) to engage in constant research to further improve on museum collections.

Oseni gave the advice during the commemoration of the International Museum Day, held at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.

The theme of 2019 Museum Day is:” Museum as a Cultural Hub: The Future of Tradition”.

He said NCMM needed to collaborate with university lecturers and students in order to engage in archeological expeditions and related researches to align with global practices in museums.

According to him, this will make Nigerian museums hub for knowledge creation and renew people’s knowledge of museum collections.

“Continuous archeological expeditions and other related researches should be regularly sponsored by museums; this should be in partnership with university lecturers and their students.

“Museums should provide annual fellowships with undergraduates, postgraduate and university lecturers from diverse fields to conduct research on museum collections, especially archeological and ethnographic materials as well as ancient arts.

“This will go a long way to consistently renew our knowledge on the museum collections and make them relevant to a larger audience,” he said.

Oseni said that for effective and efficient operations of nation’s museums, the members of staff must be trained to be confident communicators, good negotiators, flexible and be comfortable with new technology.

“The museum staff need to demonstrate the ability to use and adapt to rapidly evolving information  communication technology,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Hakeem Adedeji, an art collector, urged the management of NCMM to organise impactful and educating programmes annually channeled toward correcting societal ills.

He said that museums as store houses of culture, tradition, values and beliefs must use its potential to change the negative narratives in the present social system.

According to him, social vices like corruption, kidnappings, ethnic crisis, human trafficking, religious crisis, drastic decline in moral standard had been the order of the day.

“I appeal with our museums, foreign interest groups, stakeholders and art lovers to come up with educating programmes, exhibitions, outreach programmes, policies and sponsor bills that will help to correct and resolve these social ills,” he said.

NAN reports that the International Museum Day is held on May, 18 of every year and coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), which has been annually celebrated since 1977. (NAN)

PTB/WOJ

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Edited by Wale Ojetimi

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