The Ministry of Culture, Museums, and National Heritage has called on stakeholders to help establish national museums to preserve South Sudan's cultural heritage.
South Sudan is incredibly diverse, with over 60 different ethnic groups. These groups have distinct languages, traditions, and customs.
According to Nadia Arop Dudi, cultural preservation necessitates collective responsibility.
“We shouldn’t just wait for the government to have museums in the country. The private sector also has a role in establishing museums. We have a very rich history that needs to be preserved, and this is our responsibility,” Arop made the remarks during the commemoration of International Museum Day on Monday in Juba.
“To the private or public sector, NGO, and supporters, we are calling upon you all to let us establish museums in the country because we need to preserve our heritage that has been lost for a long time, and we need to keep it.”
However, Charles Kitab Biimo, the acting director general of museums at the ministry, pointed out some of the challenges hindering the preservation of culture.
“We were in conflict the previous years. That is why this year we have a plan to construct this museum. We also need to visit other countries and learn how they keep their objects. We have some photos, pots, and documents kept at the directorate of archives,” Kitab stressed.
“There is a lack of training and capacity building for staff. There is a lack of transport to facilitate the collection of materials and a lack of awareness about the museums.”
For his part, Justin Billi, a cultural expert, said the next generation would face a challenge of identity due to negligence in cultural heritage.
“Not having a museum means we will not have stories to tell the coming generations. It will be difficult for them to recognize who they are in this controlled, advanced technology. The coming generations will get disconnected with the past,” Billi stated.
“This will likely cause identity problems. We are supposed to document what we have and then pass it on. Keep the original, and whatever changes happen to it will be like an experiment on what you already had, which would be a grantee of what we had in the past.”
A museum is a structure that houses and displays historical artifacts for visitors.
Museums can contribute to research, providing a platform for exploration and dissemination of new ideas from the arts and history to science and technology.
They are an important means of cultural exchange, culture enrichment, and the development of mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace.