Museum’s role in societal development

MUSEUMS are agents of power. They are repositories of power and reflect the state of hegemony, which is very useful for cultural diplomacy.

As a result of their place in society, museums have acquired new roles, responsibilities and opportunities such as stimulating knowledge and economy, attracting talents, generating job opportunities, positioning towns and regions as tourism destinations and elevating civic pride.

Museums become more prominent as power platforms when they amplify and accelerate cultural change and contribute to cultural intelligence among the great diversity of citizens, visitors, policymakers and government agencies.

It’s undeniable that museums possess abundant power, making their collections available to people around their communities.

Museums can be used to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Innovate on digitalisation and accessibility and build communities through education.

To look at how they help achieve SDGs, we must first understand what SDGs are. SDGs are calls for action by all countries to promote prosperity and protect the planet.

Museums are, therefore, strategic partners in implementing the SDGs of the United Nations. As key actors in societal development, they contribute to various goals, including boosting the social economy and disseminating scientific information on environmental challenges.

The National Museum of Unity, Ibadan, is included in carrying out these goals and has contributed immensely to these goals in terms of health, economic development, improving social change, and financial well-being of people in the community.

Also, under SDGs’ poverty alleviation programmes, the National Museum of Unity has trained many people in skills acquisition, such as soap making and adire making.

The museum also helps build the community through education since the community is a supportive social group in which members feel a sense of belonging and share a common interest, experience or goals.

Therefore, education plays a vital role in any museum and its environment.

Some of the roles include promoting awareness of public activities, developing the creative capabilities of the audience, that is, visitors, interpreting museum collections to all categories of people, promote museum institutions as centres for public learning, among others.

Adebamiyo is the Principal Assistant Museum Education Officer at the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan.