Community involvement in Museum Exhibitions
Abstract
This project is about the participation of communities in museum exhibitions in Africa. The study
has surveyed the depths of community involvement in museum exhibitions in Africa and has come
up with recommendations on how to maximize the participation of communities in the whole
process of exhibition development in museums, from concept building to actualization.
The objectives of the study were to assess the role of communities in museum exhibitions in Africa;
to establish the depths of community involvement in exhibition development; to identify the
reasons affecting community participation in exhibitions; and to recommend strategies to maximize
community stake in exhibitions.
The study subjects were African museum professionals, museum (consultants) experts and
members of the Banjul community who took part in a community-powered exhibition put up at the
Gambia National Museum, Banjul, in June 2002, which is the case study for this project.
The study used self administered questionnaires, key informants interviews and secondary library,
and online material to gather data for analysis.
The data revealed that there is an acute lack of community involvement in exhibitions due mainly
to the lack of exhibition and community participation policies in African museums, poor publicity
of museum activities and irregular exhibitions to name afew.
My recommendations to maximize community input in exhibitions include formulating of clear
policies for community involvement in museum activities, strengthening of museum-community
consultations and regular assessment of community needs by museums
Citation
Post-graduate diploma thesis,university of nairobi (2009)Publisher
University of Nairobi. Institute of African Studies
Description
Postgraduate diploma in the care and management of heritage and museum
Collections of the University of Nairobi