International Museum Day is celebrated every year on May 18, coordinated by the International Council
of Museums (ICOM). The day serves as a platform to raise public awareness on
the role museums play in the development of society today.
‘What do you know about your land?’
That’s the question that one should have
in mind. We have grown up in Goa unaware of so many things. On the occasion of
International Museum Day in Goa, 35 young teens and children from El Shaddai
Charitable Trust, Assagao explored the real meaning of Goa at Goa Chitra
Museum. The visit included a fun tour and interaction with unique
Goanartifacts. The children were also taken on a visualisation journey of
traditional Goan landscapes through a beautifully crafted story and went on to
draw what they had imagined, resulting in creative work. The entire event was
planned and coordinated by art historian, curator and IFA Fellow, Lina Vincent.
She wanted to introduce students to Goan culture and Goa Chitra was happy to
support this wonderful initiative. “It was a special day,” says Lina.
Lina admits that it was a lucky day as she
had planned the event for the children long ago but finally found International
Museum Day as the right time to introduce children to Goan history. “I wish
that all schools make it a crucial point to make children learn about Goa.
Direct interaction through history cannot come from within classroom or
textbooks, they need to explore and learn by visiting museums,” expresses Lina.
The children seemed interested and a
couple of older children shared what things they liked. Many were fascinated
with the jaggery processing unit, while several little girls also admired the
terracotta pots.
What is lacking in Goa today is the
importance of studying about our land and its significance, the history and the
culture. Mostly, children should be familiarised with such details through
field trips and activities. According to Victor Hugo Gomes, Founder and Curator
of Goa Chitra Museum, educating children with the knowledge of our land is
extremely important. We clone our children to Western concepts and culture in
turn creating an export model. The child is deprived and automatically begins
hating the culture of Goa. “I hated my school days because I was taught about
the pyramid far away in Egypt rather than learning about our own Khazan land,”
says Victor Gomes.
“I was never even taken to a museum, but today, I want to
encourage youngsters to come forward and explore Goa through museums,” he adds.
He affirms that until and unless a child is introduced to the history of Goa,
they won’t pay heed to it.
Noella Serrao from Goa Chitra Museum expresses that the children
who visited the museum on International Museum Day were happy about spending time
doing something different. “These students were from a disadvantaged
background. Wherever you are in the world, you should learn about the history
and culture; they got the opportunity to learn.” She describes it as a great
activity in sensitising children as they grow up. “Through the knowledge stored
in museums, they get to know about Goa. Unless they learn about it, they won’t
be able to give back and in turn, conserve and preserve.”
The
Museum Day turned out to be successful and many historians, archaeologists and
researchers wish to have many more activities in the years to come on the day
dedicated to museums.
