How museums can enhance peace in Nigeria – Curator, Prince Adeoye
PanNigerianNews
3 min read
By Sunday ADEPOJU
The curator of the Ogbomoso branch of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Prince Reuben Oyebisi Adeoye, has stressed that the activities of museums could be geared towards ensuring peace and tranquility in the country.
Prince Adeoye stated this in Ogbomoso on Wednesday when the branch of the NCMM joined museums the world over to celebrate this year’s International Day of Museum on the theme “The Power of Museums.”
In the opening remarks of the Director-General of the NCMM, Prof. Abba Isa Tijani, delivered by Prince Adeoye, the Commission foresaw a future of collaboration where the past assets would fashion out a new commitment and educate the populace towards a sustainable museum practice all over the world.
According to Prof. Tijani, the international museums day came to existence on one of the resolutions of the 12th General Assembly of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) held in Moscow in 1977.
“The NCMM has been achieving great success in its repatriation pursuit. It was recently in the news how Nigeria successfully argued and won her case and brought back a 600 year-old IFE TERRACOTA from Netherlands to Nigeria,” Professor Abba said.
Celebrated amidst fanfare, the celebration, which had in attendance pupils, students and other culture exponents, held at the premises of the museum located at Sun-un Sun-un, Ogbomoso South local government area of the state on Wednesday.
Prince Adeoye told PanNigerian News on, Wednesday, that the role of museums the world over could not be underestimated, saying that the activities of museums through symposia and seminars have a role to play in making societies and communities peaceful.
He said, “When we look at what the country is even saying now, we will find out that there is no peace and tranquility. The museum is in the position to enhance peace in the country, through the museum`s activities, symposia and seminars.”
“One of the mandates of museums is to protect tangible and intangible heritages. The museums should be in a position to ensure that this mandate is being preserved.”
Condemning the abandonment of the indigenous culture, westernisation and over-exposure to the western media, Prince Adeoye stated that sensitisation has a huge role to play in reconciling the communities to their cultural heritage and history.
Adeoye added, “Our culture has been eroded by westernisation and over exposure to the western media. That is why we have been sensitising our communities on the ground that people from outside cannot be coming here to tell us what our forefathers had. No!
“We are in a position to tell them where we are coming from, where we are and where we want to be in the nearest future. That is the more reason why our intangible heritage should be preserved. You find out that in some homes, parents would be telling their children “Don’t speak vernacular.” What do they mean by that? Is our language vernacular? We should intensify efforts in telling our people that our culture, our language, our ways of life have nothing to do with westernisation.
“Our forefathers have done their best and it is now left for us to continue doing the best for the posterity of our incoming generations.”
Asserting that the commission’s branch in Ogbomoso has good cordiality with the community and its traditional rulers as custodians of culture, customs and traditions, he maintained, “Our relationship is very cordial. Some days ago, we were with the Seriki Hausawa and he had promised us that he would do everything within his reach to ensure that all Hausa programmes would be brought to this side of the country. With this, people will know more about their activities.
“Four days ago, we were with the Onpetu of Ijeru and he promised that he would do everything humanly possible to ensure that our culture and history do not go into extinction.”
Cultural presentations, among other activities, spiced the day.
