This year’s International Museum Day’s theme: Hyperconnected museums: new approaches, new publics could not have come at a better time than now when museum-going culture in Nigeria has continued to decline.
The theme is not only a wake-up call for the review of relevant government agency’s policies and relationships with the publics considering the emerging dynamics, it is also a period for aggressive awareness campaign to educate the publics on the relevance and functions of museum in national development.
According to statistics, National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, one of the leading museums in the country, recorded 17, 656 visitors in the first quarter of this year, while in 2016 and 2017, it recorded 46,359 and 41,826 visitors. How can these fluctuations in human traffic to the museum be redressed?
Frontline art collector and Founder Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF), Prince Yemisi Shyllon, who chaired the International Museum Day celebration in Lagos, said the government and museum experts have a lot to do in demystifying wrong notions held by many Nigerians that museum is home to objects of idol worship.
He said people across religion and ethnic divides are preaching on the pulpits, talking from ignorance about what museum is. This, he said, has continued to be on the increase, thus making patronage of museum unattractive to youths.
“There is so much mystification about what museum is about. Out there in the public, if you ask an average Nigerian what museum is about, he believes you are preserving and conserving items of idol worship. So, you need to do a lot at the museum to demystify what museum is about.
“People are preaching on the pulpits, talking in ignorance about what museum is about.
“We have to bridge the gap, the cultural gap between the Nigerian public and what a museum is about. I have been a guest of some museums in the world but I will mention only two in Africa. The museum in Nairobi contains the work of the vice president of Kenya under Jomo Kenyatta. That man led a huge collection of arts that is adorning the national archives of the National Museum of Kenya and they have a fantastic library. The collection of that work attracts thousands of researchers, scholars from all over the world to learn about the culture of the 17 tribes in Kenya, the nomadic Kenyas as well,” he said.
Prince Shyllon urged management of museums to encourage exchanges of works in National Museum and other museums across the world in order to expose the creative talent of great artists. This, he said, will educate foreigners especially the West, that ‘we never lived on tress and could create works of art. Within the limit of their exposures, they created objects and celebrated humanities.’
“Here we have over 40,000 works, representing what our forefathers did as creative minds to represent their glorious beliefs, their spiritual beliefs and to carve works for festivals, for remembrance,ceremonies, naming, and funeral. The collections within this museum are cultural objects within the scope and knowledge of our forefathers and their appreciation of God Almighty within their limited knowledge. Artists create work to celebrate spiritualism, and spiritualism is not religious,” he noted.
He stressed the need to bridge thegap between ordinary people and what the museum represents, adding that educational activityis another way to encourage museum connection.
On how to facilitate connectivity in museum, he said: “Museum connection these days is very easy. You don’t need too much money to set up IT interface between the museum and the world. I own an ArtFoundation, which has over five million followers and I only used one staff. You can do same. You don’t need too many people to do this. The IT world is a world that makes it easy for connectivity. Let us explore it. One other way that we can do that is to setup a journal. You don’t need a publishing house to do a journal. You don’t need a printing press. I fund an international journal from my professorial chair at University of Port Harcourt. I fund the OYASAF journal of arts led by Prof Frank Ugiomoh and it doesn’t cost me more than N200,000 in a year. People all over the world are clamouring to write articles and have academic discourses in this journal. You can do it. You can do museum collection with your journal. We must thank the press for what they are doing to ensure museum connection with the public. We are very grateful but you have a lot of work to do, to come closer to the museum and we should work towards new approaches.”
He however observed that museum is not only underfunded but also notpatronised by both public and government. He stated that government needs to look at the value of museum becauseour culture makes others respect us in the world.
According to Prince Shyllon, ‘’if you don’t have any cultural identity, you have no claim to any pride in the world. Those objects you see are our claim to civilisation, which showsthat our civilisation predates slavery’’.
In his goodwill message, Acting Director-General (DG) National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) Mr. Emeka O. Onuegbu noted that with the constant advancement in information technology, ‘our communications and connections with one another become more complex and diverse every day.’ This, he said, has made museums to be committed to the current trends.
“In order to enhance the public understanding of, and connection with museums, they have to develop new approaches in interpreting their exhibits and to explore new opportunities through social media to enrich the audience’ viewing experience. These new approaches will allow them to interact with the exhibits and with one and other,” he added.
He reiterated that museums will redefine its place in the 21st century landscapes, embrace digital tools and technologies to make deeper and more personalised connections with its many audiences and are redefining success as to increase the number of visitors.
He stressed that as a foremost institution in the business of cultural preservation, promotion and development, the NCMM will not relent in her efforts to tap into this new spirit of hyper-connectivity and new approaches, adding that ‘we will do all in our capacity to be a part of this remarkable innovation.’
Curator National Museum, Onikan Lagos Mrs. Adeboye O. M who represented the DG, said different spheres of society are experiencing dramatic changes and developmental progress as a result of new technological innovations.
She observed that as a result of this, to keep up with the pace at which society is changing there is a change in the style and system of service delivery in various museums around the globe. She noted that there has been a pragmatic shift in the modus operandi and visitation of museums globally.
“If museums must remain relevant in the delivery of their social services to the society, the 21st century museums across the globe must brace-up and embrace new technological innovations. Today, there are new technological facilities designed and in use to carry out museums services effectively more than before. These includes, high-powered camera for capturing of three dimensional collections, remote servicing/global positioning system (GPS) for location and capturing collections/materials imagery without physical contact with the collections…
“The use of technology devises has brought new approaches, concepts, methodology, ideology and initiative to museums services, which have helped museums across the world to reach out to more audience beyond the usual visiting public. The use of technology facilities has also created a wide gap between museums in the developed countries and museums in the developing countries. This has made museums services in the developing countries slow, difficult in handling tasks and time wasting,” she said.
Mrs Adeboye, however, lamented that there are museums that with non-functioning web sites and non-availability of multimedia facilities to enhance guided tour in the galleries. To her, this year’s theme for International Museum Day is a wake-up call to museums to embrace the benefits of the 21st century technological development that have changed the phenomenon of museum services.
Guest speaker Mr Taiye Olaniyi who spoke on Hyper Museum: New approach, New public, the Nigerian experiment said hyper connectivity of the museums can only be attained if and when ‘we all agree to put more energy, exert more creative talents, raise our consciousness and passion for our cultural aesthetics, mobilise and extend frontier of our culture to pollinate and interconnect with those of others and make the world a better place.
