Doha: The world celebrates every May 18 the International Museums Day which was approved by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1977 with the aim of highlighting the vital and prominent role of museums.
The UNESCO and ICOM celebrate Wednesday the International Museum Day 2022 under the theme “The Power of Museums” to indicate that museums have the power to transform the world around us. As incomparable places of discovery, they teach us about our past and open our minds to new ideas, two essential steps in building a better future.
The celebration this year aims to explore the potential of museums to bring about positive change in their communities through three lenses: the power of achieving sustainability, the power of innovating on digitalization and accessibility; and the power of community building through education.
In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), member of the ICOM Advisory Board and Strategic Plan Committee Sharqi Dahmali said that marking the International Museums Day is an occasion to highlight the vital and prominent role of these cultural institutions in preserving the various material and immaterial evidences of human civilization in various fields.
He noted that the decision to mark the International Museums Day was adopted during the 11th ICOM General Conference in Moscow in 1977 with the aim to increase and unify the creative ambitions and efforts made by museums and to draw the attention of the world public opinion to their activities, and to remind that museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and the development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.
Regarding the theme of this years celebration “The Power of Museums”, Dahmali said that this theme refers to the role of museums as a “soft force” in achieving societal change through museum discourse. In light of the museum renaissance that many Arab countries are witnessing, with the contribution of the government and private sectors, the occasion represents an opportunity to draw attention to the role of this cultural institution in achieving the goals of cultural and societal development in the Arab world, by making museums a key partner in implementing sustainable development goals and promoting the values of diversity and tolerance in the Arab countries.
He revealed that “The Power of Museums” will be the main theme of the 26th General Conference of the International Council of Museums in Prague from August 20-28, 2022.
Director of Marketing and Communications at Msheireb Properties Dr. Hafez Ali stressed the importance of International Museums Day as an global occasion celebrated by celebrated by all museums around the world.
He noted that Msheireb Museums has become a global destination known for its distinctive content and innovative style of presentation, and the celebration of the International Museums Day reminds of its importance as an educational and cultural destination and as the main center for preserving the memory of generations and the history of civilizations, peoples and countries.
Dr. Hafez added that Msheireb Museums launched the slogan “The Power of Innovation in Digitization and Access to Information” to mark the occasion and support the theme of this year’s celebration “The Power of Museums”. He explained that Msheireb Museums seeks to promote dialogue and the exchange of cultures through its digital application which provides information in eight languages: Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese and Hindi.
He said that this application will be an ideal solution for fans of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, in cooperation with Qatar Tourism.
