FROM THE PRESIDENT
 CAM colleagues: 2016 has been an exceptionally busy year for our association and the museum sector in general. We are all evaluating our relevance in the 21st Century. Numerous programmes and conferences have been taking place around the globe to look at the viability of what museums are doing and how successfully they are managing to readapt to changes in our society and their demands. Museums are no longer those quiet and serene places we know; in this current world all our assumptions about our practice are being challenged and renegotiated. The role of the curator is also being re-evaluated and curators are being recognised as facilitators of new and contemporary thinking and knowledge creation. Likewise the CAM office under the management of Secretary-General Catherine C. Cole has been working extremely hard to ensure that CAM continues to make this association relevant, visible and active at various platforms.
Our membership numbers remain small and as you know if we want to be a powerful association that has an impact on the heritage terrain then our membership has to increase rapidly. If we want to be a serious lobby group with the voice of a lion that roars and can be heard from the distance then we need to encourage our fellow colleagues to become members of CAM. I am of the view that if our membership grows then our resources will match what we aspire to achieve through our three year strategic plan. With our growth will come the much needed recognition that CAM is serious about what we are doing and how we are going about doing our business. Our association should be able to interact with other associations on an equal footing and not always go out on a limb and be perceived to be the poor cousin. At any point CAM should be able to tell the museum world what its membership, individual and organisational, is doing, thinking and more about what this association wants to achieve as a collective.
Our Secretary-General and numerous colleagues are assisting the organisation on a pro-bono basis. Under her guardianship CAM regularly produces its bimonthly newsletter, networks, fundraises for our programmes and keeps our administration regulated. Please become ambassadors to increase our membership or else CAM will find itself regressing into an eternal slumber and an eternal slumber is what we have to avoid. I am certain all of you want to realise the potential of CAM.
On that note I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members for their support, our funders, volunteers and friends who have gone the extra mile to ensure CAM functioned in 2016. We had an exciting year. I am sure that all of you will agree that we need to thank Catherine C. Cole, our Secretary-General, for her time, professionalism and dedication to CAM. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our members a happy festive season and a brilliant and safe 2017. Hopefully, we shall all be meeting in Calgary, Canada in June 2017.
Rooksana Omar, President
12 December 2016
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2016 was a very productive year for CAM.
- Museum Outreach intern Bess Forrestall completed her term at the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, City Palace, Jaipur, India at the end of March and Human Remains Management Intern Keely McCavitt began her internship at the Iziko Museums of South Africa in October
- CAM collaborated with the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum (MSMS II M) and ICOMOS India to present a workshop on Access in Museums in South Asia, at City Palace, Jaipur, from March 25-28 and subsequently published the learnings (see below)
- Secretary-General Catherine C. Cole and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London Nicholas Watts represented CAM at the ICOM Triennial General Assembly in Milan in July; Cole spoke at the Advisory Committee meeting about next year’s CAM Triennial General Assembly, at ICOM ICTOP about the Access workshop, and at ICOM CAMOC about a project she is working on in Edmonton that relates to the Migration: Cities project (below)
- CAM initiated a collaboration with ICOM CAMOC (Collections and Activities of Museums of Cities) and ICOM ICR (International Committee of Regional Museums) on Migration: Cities – Immigration and Arrival Cities, a long-term project that will explore the role museums can and do play with migrants and make resources available on the Internet
- CAM initiated a project on Human Remains Management with the Iziko Museums of South Africa, the National Museum of Botswana and the Museums Association of Namibia and began planning towards a workshop in Cape Town in February 2017
- Head of Museums Durham University/Oriental Museum Craig Barclay, Head of Corporate Development, National Portrait Gallery Jess Litwin, CAM board member Mrinalini Venkateswaran, and Nicholas Watts represented CAM at various meetings of the ‘Commonwealth Family’, held at Marlborough House in London
- CAM published six issues of the CAM Bulletin in 2016, including regular contributions by columnists Erin Sobat of McGill University in Montreal, Canada and Siddhant Shah, Heritage Architect & Access Consultant of Mumbai, India, as well as numerous occasional contributors – thanks for all of your reports
Stay tuned to see what’s in store for 2017!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Study tour of Indigenous heritage sites
in Southern Alberta, June 19-20, 2017
With visits to: Blackfoot Crossing, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, and Writing on Stone
- Travel through the dramatic landscape of southern Alberta to visit heritage sites
- Meet with members of local indigenous communities
- Learn about their traditional culture and practices
Image of the Buffalo jump from Waterton Lakes National Park
Indigenous Heritage Roundtable
June 21, 2017
Hosted by Fort Calgary
with the support of the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Indigenous Heritage Circle, and Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee
Photo: courtesy Troy Patenaude, Fort Calgary
- Begin the day with a peace and reconciliation walk to commemorate National Aboriginal Day
- Participate in the Roundtable discussion about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
- Learn about Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, including responses by all of the organisations named in relation to heritage, including: Library and Archives Canada; the Association of Canadian Archivists; the Canadian Museums Association; Parks Canada; the Canada Council for the Arts; and the Canadian Museum of History
- Develop an action plan for the future
Heritage and Nation Building Symposium
& CAM Triennial General Assembly, June 22-23
Hosted by the
Glenbow Museum and Archives
Open Minds Museum School, Glenbow Museum
Participate in sessions on:
- Heritage and National Identity, the Road to Independence
- Human Rights
- Human Remains Management
- Museums and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Migration: Cities
Come to Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Registration opens soon!
For program details and updates, go to http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/cam/about/index.html
Accommodations: Delta Calgary Downtown
Book your rooms at the official CAM hotel. The Delta Calgary Downtown at 209 4th Ave SE has reserved a block of rooms at a rate of $127/night plus taxes. Call Marriott Reservations at 1-800-268-1133 or 1-403-266-1980 to make your reservation. You must reserve by 4:00 pm, Friday May 19, 2017 to guarantee this exceptional rate.
Travel Documents
To find out whether or not you need a visa to come to Canada please check this website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/apply-who.asp. If you require a letter of invitation, contact the Secretariat.
Visiting Calgary and Banff
The weather should be nice, sunny and dry with an average high of around 20°C (70°F) and low of 7°C (45°F). Days are long at this time of year, with about 16 hours of daylight. For more information about visiting Calgary go to: http://www.visitcalgary.com/. If you’re thinking of adding a few days to see the surrounding area, the town of Banff is only an hour away, the mountains are beautiful and there is a lot to do at any time of the year. Park passes are free this year in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation. https://www.banfflakelouise.com/
Funding for Canadian Participants
The Canadian Museums Association administers a bursary program on behalf of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Depending upon your working status you may be eligible to apply for a bursary for conferences (up to $600/$800 for those travelling from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories or Yukon), emerging professional development (up to $500/$700 for those from NL, NU, NT, or YT) for people with at least a year’s experience, or mid-career professional development (up to $1,500 on a 50% matching basis) for those with at least 5 years’ experience. Up to five bursaries may be awarded. Please go to the CMA’s website for further information: http://www.museums.ca/site/bursaries.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums,
the International Committees for the Collections and Activities of Museums of Cities (CAMOC) and
Regional Museums (ICR)
present
Migration: Cities (Im)migration and Arrival Cities
Municipal Gallery of Athens, Greece
February 6-8, 2017
Migration: Cities will explore the impact of the influx of migrants on contemporary cities, ranging from polarisation and exclusion to enrichment and the creation of new cultural resources, and the roles museums can have in collecting, presenting and collaborating in these processes. The workshop aims to bring together museum professionals, NGO representatives, psychologists, social workers, specialists in intercultural education and (im)migrants. The workshop will feature presentations by migrants, city museum staff and representatives of NGOs working with migrants/refugees in Athens, as well as videos, group discussions and site visit to the Melissa Network Community Centre.
For more information contact: Marlen Mouliou mmouliou@gmail.com or Afsin Altayli secretary.camoc.icom@gmail.com; or
Visit CAMOC’S website: http://network.icom.museum/camoc/.
The project is creating a web platform for city museums, migration and community museums and their professionals to find relevant experiences, share knowledge and discuss ways to engage with new urban dynamics and the diverse realities of what Doug Saunders has called ‘Arrival Cities’. The platform will offer insights from academic research as well as practical tools and experiences. It will also connect professionals and avail exchange and mentoring opportunities, acting as a think-tank and contact zone between professionals and institutions alike.
A second workshop will be held in Mexico City, October 28, 2017. CAM is also including a session on this topic in our June symposium in Calgary. If your museum is working on a project related to migration and you’re interested in becoming involved in this project as it develops, please contact the CAM Secretariat catherinec.cole@telus.net.
Commonwealth Association of Museums and Iziko Museums of South Africa
present Human Remains Management and Repatriation
The South African Museum
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
February 13-14, 2017
CAM is working with the Iziko Museums of South Africa, the Museums Association of Namibia and the National Museum of Botswana to develop policy and guidelines for Human Remains Management in southern Africa. Iziko Museums is hosting a workshop on Human Remains Management and Repatriation to share information about repatriation, ethical handling practices and collection management strategies, discuss the unique challenges and positive results repatriation claims can produce, encourage cross-institutional co-operation, and identify steps forward.
The South African Museum, Cape Town
Participants, including museum colleagues, community leaders, academics and government representatives, will discuss the state of repatriation practices and human remains management in the three countries, international case studies, the role time and intention play in defining remains as ethically or unethically collected, among others topics. The main goal of the workshop is to produce a declaration on human remains management which can influence decision-making practices at both community and institutional levels.
Participants are responsible for their own travel costs.
For further information contact: kmccavitt@iziko.org.za.
RECENT CAM PUBLICATIONS
Access in Museums in South Asia: Learning from the Commonwealth Association of Museums’ Regional Workshop 2016
Access in Museums in South Asia was released December 3, 2016 in recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD).
Produced in partnership with the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, the publication is the outcome of the workshop on Access in Museums in South Asia which brought together museum and heritage professionals and was held in the City Palace in Jaipur in March 2016. It includes the Jaipur Declaration on Access in Museums in South Asia first issued at the end of the workshop, practical advice and suggestions on how to become more inclusive as a museum professional and institution, and is intended as a resource to use as well as to build upon.
Edited by Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Catherine C Cole and Giles Tillotson, the publication is supported by a special projects grant from the International Council of Museums (ICOM), ICOM Canada and ICOM ICTOP (International Committee for the Training of Personnel).
Download the publication from the CAM website at: http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/cam/publications/access-museums-south-asia.html or http://royaljaipur.in/index.php/news/. The publication is also available in French and there are a limited number of print copies. Contact the Secretariat to request a copy
CAM INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
By Keely McCavitt, Iziko Museums of South Africa
Preparations for the Human Remains workshop are well underway (see above). In addition to organising the workshop I have been researching the history of human remains collections not only at Iziko museums, but in southern Africa as a whole. The remains of many individuals collected by museums were acquired in the name of racially motivated pseudoscience which sought to uphold the concept of white supremacy. Seeing Indigenous groups as ‘inferior’ and therefore destined for ‘extinction’, curators and scientists sought out human remains as a way to preserve living ‘artefacts’ or ‘specimens’, and became very competitive often acquiring them through nefarious means. Within collections various cultural groups were treated as objects of study, rather than human beings.
When the institutions we work within were built on such oppressive practices, how do we unlearn these relationships with our communities, and learn new ways of collaborating? How can we address the tragedies of the past and the traumas of the present from the position of museum professionals? Discussions with community members are essential to developing policy and guidelines for future practice through participatory governance.
Keely and Jurika at Cape Point Nature Reserve
Being an international intern is full of exciting challenges, surprises and rewards. I am working on the human remains project with Jurika Esterhuizen from the Department of Arts and Culture. Jurika is South African and has been seconded from her hometown of Pretoria, a 14 hour drive from Cape Town. We are both a long way from home and appreciate exploring the city and surrounding area together. She has been valiantly trying to teach me how to pronounce Afrikaans words, but sadly my Canadian accent seems to be too thick, and we usually just end up laughing. Coming into this environment as outsiders has allowed us to bring our unique abilities and perspectives to the tasks at hand. There is nothing like being fully immersed in a place to begin learning about its history, culture and everyday life.
Cape Town is a beautiful city surrounded by an equally beautiful landscape. Working at Iziko Museums is an excellent experience because of the city’s fascinating history and the museum’s impressive collections. We have been able to participate in many different facets of museum work and gain more holistic knowledge of museum operations. The experience of working abroad, communicating across time zones and schedules has been a learning curve, but essential training for an increasingly globalised and cooperative museum world.
Being halfway through my internship, I feel like enough time has passed to be fully comfortable with the rhythm of the city and to become involved in things outside of work as well. As it often does when you are enjoying yourself and busy with interesting projects, time seems to be flying by. I feel very comfortable and welcome with my work colleagues here and have met many interesting and passionate people.
I have learned quite a lot already during my short time here and am excited to apply this knowledge at home in Canada when I return at the end of March. We are looking forward to our workshop on human remains management coming up in February, and hope to see some of you there!
Editor’s Note: CAM applies for funding each year from the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Interns are young, recent university graduates who are placed in museums throughout the Commonwealth for six months, from October 1-March 31. If you are interested in hosting an intern at your museum, please contact the Secretariat as soon as possible to develop a funding application.
CAM DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMME
Congratulations to the most recent graduate of the CAM Distance Learning Programme – Mxolisi Sboniso Mdluli who works for Aba Qulusi Municipality at the Nieuwe Republiek Museum in Vryheid, South Africa. New students are welcome on an ongoing basis. We have a new student in Mozambique and four students in Barbados will be starting in the new year. If you need training in basic museum studies, please review the information on our website and contact the Secretariat for more information or to register http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/cam/programs/distance_learning.html.
CAM SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Please submit a fun artifact, object, image or photograph along with a short text explaining what the artifact is, and where it comes from, that can be featured in our #ArtifactOfTheWeek campaign to emily@knowhistory.ca. Let us know what social media platforms you are currently using effectively and ways in which CAM may be able to help cross-promote activities, resources and educational opportunities.
COMMONWEALTH MUSEUM NEWS
Sukur World Heritage Site in Great Danger of Destruction
By Chinwe Abara, Director, Arts and Crafts Department, National Council for Arts and Culture, Abuja, Nigeria
Almost every community, country and continent is experiencing a form of conflict, war or disaster. These wars have claimed lives, antiquities, heritage materials, contemporary arts, galleries, museums, archives, monuments, and heritage sites.
Nigeria not being an exception with the emergence of a religious group allegedly belonging to an Islamist group known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna lidda’awati wal jihad popularly known as Boko Haram (western education is an abomination) who target churches, security operatives, politicians, both Islamic and Christian clerics, and the general public. Initially the mode of attack was by gunmen on motorcycles but that had degenerated and snowballed into full-scale insurgency of national and international dimensions using series of bomb attacks.
Boko Haram sect has done considerable harm to the people and culture of Nigeria more especially in the northeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The zone is made up of the following states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe. Apart from many innocent lives that have been prematurely terminated, there is dislocation of communities and settlements.
For instance, in Borno state capital, Maiduguri, most of the heritage relics and landmarks have been destroyed. The three giant catfish sculptures leading to the popular fish market, the sculpture of a traditional ruler ready for Durbar festival, and the sculpture of Rabe (the Arab warlord who conquered Borno in 19th century) were all pulled down during this crisis. The age long durbar tradition during Sallah celebrations is fast becoming a thing of the past. Even coronation and turbaning exercises which in the past were done with a lot of fanfare are now done in utmost secrecy because of insecurity.
The Sukur Kingdom which is on top of one of the highest plains on Mandara Mountains in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State in north-eastern Nigeria was the first Nigerian landmark to be listed aas a World Heritage Sites in 1999. Its terraced fields with ritual features and villages whose unchanged settings over the years drew the attention of UNESCO and it was subsequently granted World Heritage Status (WHS).
This Kingdom has been attacked twice and the fear is that it might be attacked again if care is not taken. On December 9, 2016 there were twin bomb blasts at the Madagali Local Government Area where Sukur cultural heritage is situated. More than 56 dead and over 120 badly wounded.
Therefore if nothing is done very fast to secure and safeguard this site, they will invade and destroy one of the world’s finest World Heritage Sites.
Editor’s note: Since the December 9th attacks the government has claimed to have captured the last Boko Haram stronghold in Sambisa Forest leaving fighters fleeing into the surrounding area. However, media sources noted that their leader Abubakar Shekau announced: “I am here, well and alive” and that “the battle is just beginning.” He urged his followers, in graphic terms, to continue the campaign.
Swahili Pot: Inspiring Vulnerable Youth
by Fredrick Kyalo Manthi, PhD, EBS, Senior Research Scientist/Head of Earth Sciences Department, National Museums of Kenya fkmanthi@museums.or.ke and Mahmoud Noor, Patron and Chairman, Swahili Pot, Mombasa, Kenya
In February 2016 National Museums of Kenya began a partnership with SwahiliPot, a community organisation in Mombasa, to inspire and develop young technology enthusiasts, innovators and artists through networking, training, mentoring and coaching.
The unemployment rate among youth in Mombasa and the coast is over 50% and the school dropout rate is high, especially among boys, leaving a large number of idle youth vulnerable to drug abuse, crime and radicalisation. Conceived of as a technology incubation hub, SwahiliPot incorporated arts to accommodate coastal youth who find solace in singing, spoken word, acting, and many other art forms. SwahiliPot gives space and training to more than 200 youth in technology and arts and helps them to earn money from their talents.
Presentation of an innovation project by the SwahiliPot Hub Tech group to the Cabinet Secretary for ICT
With seven volunteer executives, we conduct training in web development and software programming, providing youth with skills they can use to create products and develop businesses. We will soon release mobile applications that offer solutions within our ecosystem and jobs to the developers and users.
SwahiliPot partners with YALI (Young African Leadership Initiative) to engage youth on topics related to human rights, peace and economic development. On International Peace Day in September youth from SwahiliPot mobilised youth from Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties for a peaceful procession through the streets of Mombasa and converged at SwahiliPot for messages of tolerance and peaceful coexistence through performing arts. In partnership with Acumen Kenya, youth organise and participate in social entrepreneurship training to assist them in turning community challenges into business opportunities.
Neon, a band created through SwahiliPot Hub, at practice.
SwahiliPot is working with youth to develop their ideas in modeling and the fashion industry into business models, and has engaged with youth whose talents range from acting, dancing, photography and singing among others. They showcase their skills through an audition process, and are subsequently mentored by successful artists to better their work.
Welcome New Members
Njabulo Chipangura, Curator of Archaeology, National Museums & Monuments of Zimbabwe/ Mutare Museum; Fredrick Kyalo Manthi, PhD, EBS, Senior Research Scientist/Head of Earth Sciences Department, National Museums of Kenya; Janelle Edwards, Kerron Hamblin, Dario Forte, and Klebere Perry of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society
CAM is an Affiliated Organisation of ICOM and an Accredited Commonwealth Organisation.
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