Upcoming provincial museum and library embrace diverse cultures in Cotabato By Jimmy Sta. Cruz PGO Media Center AMAS, Kidapawan City (Sep 19) – The soon to be finished provincial museum and library in the provincial capitol grounds will be a structural facility that embraces the diverse cultures of the tri-people in the Province of Cotabato. This is the big idea that came out from sector participants of the 3-day Provincial Museum Conception training-workshop held at the Annex Building, Capitol Compound, Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City on Sep. 16-18, 2014. The participants to the training-workshop came from the Provincial Governor’s Office –Public Affairs Assistance Tourism Sports Development Division (PAATSDD), Provincial Human Resource and Management Office, Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), DepEd Cotabato Schools Division, Non-Government organizations, Peoples Organizations and other sectors. Renowned Filipino Anthropologist Dr. Antonio Julian R. Montalvan, II, Vice President of the International Council of Museums Philippine Chapter, was the speaker and resource person of the activity. Dr. Montalvan provided the training-workshop with an objective that collated ideas and proposals from each participant on coming up with a particular portrayal of the coming museum and library – bring together and preserve artifacts that depict the unity and harmony of the Indigenous Peoples, Muslims and Christians in the Province of Cotabato in the last 100 years or more. Dr. Montalvan, a Ford Foundation scholar was a graduate of Doctorate in Anthropology who represented the Philippines in various museum and cultural heritage conferences in Indonesia, Italy and Brazil. “When starting a museum, we must identify specific questions and clear answers that will help us build a worthwhile and sensible facility” he told the participants during the first day of the activity. These include the questions on what is the museum’s vision-mission, what kind of museum will it be, its name, and its big idea that will be identified with itself, making an impact to the people. Also equally important is to establish what to collect and how to exhibit them and what will be the museum space be like. Dr. Montalvan pointed out that those who want to put up a museum must be able to establish important aspects. These will prepare and guide people or organizations like in the case of the Provincial Government of Cotabato in coming up with a museum and library that will be valuable to the community. In his discussions, Dr. Montalvan made known that in the last 30 years or so, people behind museums have realized the power to create social interventions. “We came to realize that the time spent in museums just producing displays is over. Now the museums can have the power to educate and create production of knowledge”, he said. This innovation in museums is being applied by Dr. Montalvan in the A. Brown Museum in Cagayan de Oro City, a work-in-process museum which he manages. The training-workshop also dealt with the transformation of museums from being derided as “grocery museums” to a more coherent, logical and highly conceptualized museums. Enthusiastically, the participants all agree that the upcoming museum and library must be in the right form and will function to educate people on the culture and tradition of Indigenous Peoples, Muslims and Christians in the Province of Cotabato. Moreover, everyone at the training-workshop concur that a paradigm shift will make a museum more significant. This is the change from being a collection-driven museum towards a visitor-driven museum which definitely has a greater impact to visitors or tourists. The impact of the museum as Dr. Montalvan says is all important as it must make a change in the people’s perception of the Province of Cotabato as a war zone or war-torn province and make a positive impression on the unity that binds the tri-people. With this development, a name most fitted for the upcoming museum was derived through collaboration of ideas and suggestions of the participants. They proposed the name “Sentenaryong Museo ng Cotabato” and respectfully informed Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza of it during the third and last day of the activity when they visited her at her office to give the output of the training-workshop. In return, Gov. Taliño-Mendoza expressed her appreciation on the proposed name and encouraged the participants to enhance their discussions on the matter. The governor was very delighted to know that the 3-day activity enlightened the sector participants from the learning they got from Dr. Montalvan. A succession of meetings and more training with Dr. Montalvan will take place at the Provincial Capitol as the construction of the provincial museum and library nears its completion. (JIMMY STA. CRUZ/PGO Media Center)
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 01:50:32 +0000
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