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International Museum Day

'Museums' Collection makes Connections'

Liberation War Museum and the paradigm shift

Mofidul Haque
THE Liberation War Museum (LWM), established in 1996 as a civil society initiative, has the community as its source of collection and inspiration. The museum undertakes special efforts to address the new generation and the younger generation also brings back history to the museum by collecting eye-witness accounts of the 1971 days. In the editorial of March 2013 issue of the monthly ICOM NEWS, published by the International Council of Museums, the editors observed that innovate actions are carried out by museums around the world to promote and encourage local participation through a number of different approaches. The editorial noted: "From Bangladesh to Brazil, museums are working to reinforce their communities' identities, with a view to enriching the lives of local residents, and in some cases helping to bring about social change. "
It is not that Bangladesh was used as a metaphor only, a special article on the issue highlighted the global perspectives on how museums are engaging with communities and observed, "Possibly the greatest paradigm shift in museums over the past few decades has been the notion of valuing the visitor over the collection. Museums are responding to this shift by creating spaces that connect visitors through activities that promote knowledge and opportunities for dialogue and collaboration." The article cited the example of Brazil's Museum of Modern Art-Sao Paulo which welcomed street art in order to preserve social memory, organised graffiti workshop to celebrate International Deaf Day etc.
Another example was the establishment of the new Louvre Museum in the French town of Lens where the museum's efforts revitalised the town that suffered repeated economic crises. Yet another example was the Art Museum of Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan in taking art to the people rather than bringing them to the confines of four walls. The example of oral history project of the LWM of Bangladesh also got prominent place in the article. Thus it was truly an effort from Brazil to Bangladesh to develop innovative ideas in activating links with community.
Museums are redefining their role in society. They became more explicit in the past decades when emphasis was given not only on the collection of the museums but also on how innovatively the museums can promote and project their collections, thereby creating a new synergy between the objects and people interacting with them. This new awareness has broadened the concept of a museum, and the Internationa] Council of Museums (ICOM) in its Rio congress held in 2013 addressed the theme of how memory joined by creativity can lead to social change. This is more than the educational role that museums have been playing for centuries; it involves the community in various ways to promote the new role of the museums.
This year, the theme of Internationa] Museum Day is "Museum Collections Make Connections." The theme recognises the role of museums as living institutions that help create bonds between visitors, generations and cultures around the world. Most importantly, the collections of the museums create greater opportunity to develop and cement ties between the institution and the community. The collection of the LWM has been enriched over the years with contributions from members of the society. Moreover, historical archives and collection of various archives from different parts of the world is a treasure which can enrich our historical search for truth. At the same time, each and every collection of a museum is important and every collection has multidimensional value. While thecollection itself is important, how itreachedthe museum is also an important part of the story.
LWM can cite the example of one such collection which carries great historic value and now is open to the public to see it and do further research and study on our glorious Muktijuddho. In 1971, the youth of Bangladesh jumped into the war to liberate their motherland with arms in hand. Most of them had undergone 3-4 weeks short training in the centres all around the border and carried out guerilla operations inside the occupied territory. While leaving the training camps operated by the Indian military forces they had to fill-in a form providing basic information. Many years after the war Major General (Retd.) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury, the then MD of the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust, persistently carried out his search and could get hold of copies of those induction forms, 50,000 plus in all, and brought them under the custody of the Kalyan Trust.
During the last one and half years, LWM was engaged in digitising the forms bound in 208 volumes and after completion of the job has made it public. LWM has also announced that any freedom fighter who had undergone such short training can come to the museum and get certified copy of his form free of charge. The family members of the freedom fighters are also encouraged to come and collect the form of the proud member of their family. On International Museum Day, LWM will present the digital copy of208 volumes containing basic info of more than 50,000 freedom fighters to the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust.
This is one example of how collections can make connections, and in this case it is not only the establishment of a connection but also a bond between the past and the present that promote relationship in the community and keep its history alive. The community, or in our case the new generation, carry the mythical Jeonkathi in their hand and when they touch and feel a historic object or listen to the tale of a past document, the sleeping princess of the past awakens and joins hands with the present to work for a better future. That is the importance of collections making connections.