Number of visitors declining due to closure of some museums
KUCHING: Sarawak Museum Department director Ipoi Datan said the number of visitors to all the museums in the state almost reached the one million mark in the past four to five years.
“We recorded a figure of 800,000 visitors when our 13 museums in Sarawak were in full operation. But however in the last two years since we had closed down Dewan Tun Razak and some other museums like Fort Emma in Kanowit and Balai Seni for renovation, the number of visitors to our museums more or less had declined,” he said when met by reporters after officiating the Sarawak Museum Carnival in conjunction with the statelevel International Museum Day 2017 at the Old Museum here yesterday.
“Now, we are looking at close to half a million per year - around 400,000 over people. For Kuching, the number of visitors going to the Old Museum, Orang Sarawak gallery and other smaller museums is quite good in view of the fact that Kuching City has a population of between 600,000 and 700,000” he added.
Nevertheless, there are ways to improve the number of visitors, he said, noting that the special exhibition now at Orang Sarawak gallery had attracted around 30,000 visitors since it was open in September last year.
“What we have in Orang Sarawak is an alternative display due to the closure of Dewan Tun Razak which used to be quite an attraction and it will be on display until the completion of the new museum that will open in 2020,” he further said.
Ipoi added the museums here are definitely finding ways to increase visitors such as by using the mass media and promoting their website.
“Our public liaison officers will do aggressive promotion campaigns for example to reach schools with their school programme, the community and also NGOs.”
He said when the new fivestorey museum is ready they will have vast collections as exhibits.
KUCHING: The number of museum institutions in the world is growing rapidly as more and more people are aware of their roles and functions which are seen to be increasingly challenging.
In stating this, state Museum Department director Ipoi Datan said almost every country in the world now has its own museum which clearly shows the importance of the role played by the museum institutions and “we see it in the same way for our country and our state”.
“Our museums here like the rest of the world have a very important role in safeguarding, restoring, keeping and educating the community regarding cultural heritage,” he said before launching Sarawak Museum Carnival in conjunction with the state-level International Museum Day 2017 at the Old Museum here yesterday.
“A museum is an accomplished entity that has a huge role as a centre of knowledge and a place where philosophers gather to exchange their thoughts,” he added.
The theme of International Museum Day 2017, which is officially celebrated worldwide on May 18, is ‘Museum and Contested Histories: Saying the Unspeakable in Museums’, which, according to Ipoi, “wants us to look at how to understand the incomprehensible aspect of the contested histories inherent to human race”.
“It also encourages museums to play an active role in peacefully addressing traumatic histories through mediation and multiple points of view.”
Ipoi also revealed that in western countries a museum is seen as an important centre for administration, education and religions, which is the same for Malaysia, which is expanding and increasing the establishment of museums in the country.
He said every museum has its own objectives and it will always showcase the best collections that have a very high historical value.
Adding that a museum is a building of historical treasures and culture, he said Sarawak Museum Department would give full commitment to safeguarding the state’s rich heritages.
He thanked local schools for carrying out activities with the State Museum and reminded them that the museum is an institution that “can educate our community especially the young about our rich cultural heritage”.
Craft bazaar, food and beverage stalls, karaoke competitions (songs from the 60s), heritage hunts for secondary schools and traditional games are among the various activities carried out at the Old Museum compound during the carnival which runs until today.
The national International Museum Day celebration was in Terengganu from May 14-21.