To mark International Museum Day, a new exhibition was opened at the Fiji Museum in Suva and was free for the public just for the day to mark the occasion.

Fiji Museum Acting Coordinator, Dr. Katherine Talei Igglesden, says museums play an important role in showcasing history.

She says this is an opportunity for them to create awareness about the importance of history and preservation.

“It is a really important time all around the world, especially here in Fiji, because we need to have our communities understand how important museums can be for them because all of the things that we care for, look for, or look after here belong to our communities and are part of our communities, and we need to create that sense of interaction and engagement with them within our space here.”

Igglesden adds that they had to close parts of the museum due to much-needed renovations.

“Well, I think the reasons are that this museum, aside from the voyagers exhibition, which opened in 2022, hadn’t had a major renovation done in at least 30 to 40 years, so about three decades, and in wanting to serve our communities much better and really be of contemporary relevance to everybody around us, we felt that it was necessary to close parts of the museum to be able to do the work as well as we could and then open it so that we can share as much as we can.”

International Museum Day is commemorated on the 18th of May every year to recognize the importance museums in preserving history for future generations and serving as a learning hub for all.