Museums are not merely institutions that protect artefacts; they play an important role in changing history. As part of International Museum Day, the Stellenbosch University Museum is viewing museums as changemakers in society.
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‘The idea of a museum as we used to know it has evolved over time, and museums are now seen as powerful agents of change,’ says Bongani Mgijima, director of the Stellenbosch University Museum. ‘Museums have also become spaces for debate and discussion. Whereas in the past, audiences in museums were expected to be passive recipients of information. Objects could not be touched and there was little or no interaction. Now audiences enjoy a dialogic relationship with museums.’
The Stellenbosch University Museum recently hosted a discussion with Professor Leslie Witz of the University of the Western Cape. In his latest book, Museum Times: Changing Histories in South Africa, Witz explains how many of the museums that emerged after 1994 became settings for contesting histories – challenging notions of the past and expectations of the future.
Witz’s discussion underscored the theme of this year’s International Museum Day: Museums, Sustainability and Well-being, which recognises that these sites are well placed to initiate positive change. As highlighted by the International Council of Museums, ‘all museums have a role to play shaping and creating sustainable futures’.
The flurry of museum openings that followed South Africa’s transition to democracy as a means of redress has abated, says Mgijima, adding that a new trend has emerged. ‘Faced with a dearth in funding, museums are becoming philanthropically led. Privately funded, these spaces present interesting new opportunities for dialogue and engagement.’
Emphasising this sentiment is the recently renovated George Museum, which is partnering with local artists and art organisations to present exhibitions and host events. ‘We want our museums to become vibrant, well-used spaces where community members can come together to experience art, culture and connectedness,’ says Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport Anroux Marais.
Minister Marais adds that the department is reinventing museums as spaces that can become cultural hubs in communities. ‘The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, through its Museum Service, is working in innovative ways to ensure that all the museums across the province reflect the full histories of all our diverse communities. We want our museums to be inclusive spaces, where every person, no matter their background, can see themselves and their own stories reflected. Museums have collaborated with our Library service on the Oral History Project, where the stories of local people are being captured as video clips so that the authentic voices of communities can be heard telling their own experiences of important events.’
In addition, the department is also assisting youth by providing first employment experiences across the province via YearBeyond, a youth service partnership focused on providing a meaningful work experiences, and the Expanded Public Works Programme, which targets skills development. ‘Our young people are bringing new skills and enthusiasm to the museums, while also teaching them new skills within a working environment.’
The Stellenbosch University Museum will participate in the formal renaming of the RW Wilcocks Building to the Krotoa Building to coincide with Africa Month and will host a related exhibition. For more information, contact Bongani Mgijma at 021 808 3690 or [email protected].
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Picture: Castle of Good Hope