Going by the trend of decline in economic growth, unemployment, uproar of social ills in Nigeria today, it would be worthwhile for us as a nation to venture into utilization of the country’s cultural and natural heritage as alternative means of promoting peace, unity, employment generation for the working population to engage in, and also enhancing revenue generation for the country, instead of the economy concentrating on the production of crude oil, which might go into extinction or get exhausted.
The above remark was in collaboration with the submission made by Dr. Omotoso Eluyemi (2003), wherein he advocated that Nigerian museums need to be reinvigorated, and rejuvenated with ideas that would promote indigenous occupation of Nigerians, as mediums of curbing unemployment, enhancing manpower development, revenue generation via diversification from oil sector to non-oil sector of the economy like cloth dyeing, iron smelting, wood carving, cloth weaving, sculpturing, calabash decoration, hair plaiting, mat making, traditional kitchen cuisine.
Nigeria is blessed with diverse cultural and natural resources that can enhance his Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unfortunately, most of these natural and culture endowed resources are under-utilised for economic growth.
Against this background this write-up aims at proving to Nigerian political leaders, cultural resources managers, and policy makers to place the country’s museums in its rightful position as one of the prime movers of economy that promote cultural and natural heritage of the country for tourism development and growth.
Museums as cultural and natural resource centre have many potentialities that need to be tapped for effective economic growth, being the home-base wherein many of Nigeria’s cultural and natural heritage are acquired to be preserved, conserved and exhibited for public posterity, research and educational values symbolically promoting identity and peace of the country.
Following from the above scenario, museums have the potentialities to generate revenue through tourists visit to museum galleries to have views of both material and non-material heritages of our forefathers in display to appreciate creativity, cultural and natural values of their ancestors while they are paying token fees as gate takings. This, therefore serves as a source of income for up-keeping and promoting cultural heritage.
It is also a home base of revenue generation to the government through obtaining of export permit of any artistic impression due for exportation, also, through cultural competition, seminars, organized cultural carnivals and festivals, both at local and international levels, wherein the foreigners pays participation fees.
Also, some of the objects in Nigeria museums can be loaned out for educational purposes, exhibitions, or research purpose on short-terms or long term basis to different countries which pay service fees in return.
However, a nation without a past is a nation without a present and future. Safe keeping of Nigerian materials and non-materials of historical memories in museums enables the country to realise where it is coming from and encourage us to move towards the future optimization for peace and unity.
Museum is endowed with many materials of information that can enrich and improve peaceful social system in our society. As a medium of promoting peace and unity, the Nigerian museum tells the story of man, world over and how humanity has survived in its environment over the years. It houses the cultural soul of the nation, that is; the cultural wealth of the nation in trust for all generations by its functions and unique position, cultural consciences of the nation.
Negri (2012) remarked that a properly packaged cultural diplomacy programme will promote a free flow of knowledge and wholesome exchange of cultural materials and ideas with other nations of the world.
Thus, Nigeria museums have a capacity to broker peace, unity and understanding in times of conflict and disorder and speak out when there is fear and danger in the land through exhibition programmes for well-being of the nation.
Meanwhile, museums have many operational departments and functions wherein human efforts can be utilized for effective cultural usage, as maintenance, sustenance and promotional cultural values, that enhance employment generation for the teaming working population.
Finally, from above, Nigerian museums can be said to be an important veritable vehicle through which Nigerians can be aware of their cultural identities with their environment and the need to infuse basic values of the past into various elements of contemporary creativity practices where such past values are relevant to the present day needs and aspirations for peace, unity, revenue generation and employment.
- Adereti Olalekan Samson is the Chief Administrative Officer, National Museum, Osogbo, Osun State.
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