Myanmar's Museum Forum held in the context of International Museum Day

A global community of museums celebrated International Museum Day on and around 18 May 2019, and Myanmar is no exception. Participation in the marking of this annual event has been widening among museum professionals in Myanmar since the country joined the International Council of Museums, ICOM. On 19-20 May 2019, around one hundred representatives from museums and cultural institutions across the country participated in this year's Museum Forum in Nay Pyi Taw. Inspired by the annual theme of ICOM, the title of the forum was “Museum of Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition”. Paper presentations and panel discussions explored the potential role of museums as active actors in their communities while maintaining their primary missions - collecting, conservation, communication, research, and exhibiting. The forum enabled the sharing of expertise in museum practice and looked to provide a catalyst for the improvement of standards and access to collections. Myanmar museums have transformed their practices and remaining close to the communities they serve.  Support to this end has been provided, among others, by the British Council, which also contributed to this year's Museum Forum by supporting the attendance of UK museum professionals. Since 2014 the British Council has worked in collaboration with colleagues and partners in Myanmar and the UK to deliver International Museum Academy (IMA)- Myanmar, a programme developed to build the capacity of Myanmar’s museum sector through research, continued professional development and policy dialogue. This capacity building programme has focused on enhancing collections management knowledge and skills so that Myanmar’s heritage is maintained in the present and preserved for the benefit of future generations. Last year the National Museum Yangon, an ASEMUS member, took turn to host the first annual Museum Forum. In 2019, the opportunity to host the Forum has comes to the National Museum (Nay Pyi Taw), also an ASEMUS member. For additional information, you can read this article from the Myanmar Times.