May 19, (THEWILL) – The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Bayelsa State Governor on Tourism and facilitator of South-South Tourism Roundtable, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, has enjoined museum curators to give attention to interiors of museums to make them more appealing and exciting to visitors, adding that the interiors of modern museums shouldn’t be as primitive as the artefacts they display.
Dr. Kiyaramo, who stated this in Yenagoa, in commemoration of 2023 International Museum Day, themed “Museums, Sustainability and Well-being”, maintained that an exciting interior of a museum would stimulate the senses of the visitors and provide that “much-needed wow factor”.
He noted that while museums collect and preserve objects and materials of religious, cultural and historical values, they have become a good source of entertainment as well, informing that museums help to promote our rich cultural heritage, being the storehouse of old sculptures, objects, and history, among others.
The South-South Tourism Roundtable facilitator pointed out that the increasing importance of cultural tourism and the growing interest in museums have also imposed various challenges on museums as tourism resources, reiterating that, for tourists to visit a museum, it has to be appealing and exciting to provide that unique and enriching experience to visitors.
“A museum promotes our rich cultural heritage, tourism, and the image of a nation. Therefore, our museums must be maintained as attractive economic development institutions. The South-south geopolitical zone, for instance, is replete with colourful cultures and traditions that are begging for attention. Museums are so important because they are channels of public education and enjoyment.
“I like to use this medium to appeal to those in charge of museums to lift museums in the country to greater heights and maximise the economic potentials of museums to promote cultural tourism, with a view to making them centres of entertainment and education.
“Museums have become spaces where knowledge of cultures on a global scale is learnt. They serve to represent the nation in which they are situated. The functions of modern museums are to collect, preserve, interpret and display objects of artistic, cultural, or scientific significance for the education of the public.
“Some of the roles of museums include, promoting awareness of public activities, developing audience’s creative capabilities, interpreting museum collections to all categories of people, and promoting the institution as a centre for general learning, among others.
“They showcase the best of the nation’s history and culture to the widest possible audience. They captivate visitors with objects that tell the stories of the world and offer a sense of place.
“A museum curator is an essential player in museum administration, who liaises between administrators, artists, and museum-goers to create the ultimate experience for people, who enjoy art and other museum installations,” Dr. Kiyaramo said.
International Museum Day (IMD) is held annually on or around May 18, and coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The event highlights a specific theme that changes yearly, reflecting a relevant theme or issue facing museums internationally.
