ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS URGED TO MAKE VISITS TO MUSEUMS COMPULSORY

Schools are encouraged to make visits to museums a compulsory part of their teaching processes.

The Director-General, National Commission for museums and Monuments, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman made the call in a message to the 2017 International Museums Day celebration in Enugu.

The Director-General called on institutions that had existed for fifty years or more to set up museums to document their history.

In a lecture which focused on the theme of this year’s celebration, “Museums and Contested Histories: Saying the Unspeakable in Museums”, the presenter, Miss Princess Okafor stated that the discovery of divisor histories and that ability to express what could not be said were duties that museums must carry out as active
co-shapers of the society.

There was an exhibition entitled, “The Labours of Our Heroes Past, Our History, Our Pride” picture exhibition on Nigeria pre-history from the archeological point of view and also an art exhibition entitled “ Aka Ekpuchi Onwa” which was a major retrospect on Igbo woman in 1929.

In an interview, the Curator in-charge of National Museum of Unity Enugu, Dr Caroline Ifejiagwa explained that the essence of the exhibition was to actualize reconciliation of our past that were not being mentioned.

Dr Ifejiagwa expressed gratitude to participants for the role they played to ensure that the event was successful.

The Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Patrick Anigbo expressed optimism that the event would help the younger ones to increase their knowledge on important issues in the nation’s history.
The celebration featured presentations on an essay competition by some secondary schools students.

FRANCIS UMEH