SA Cultural Policy Network hosts forums on museums and heritage

Are museums colonial constructs or do they have a role to play in contemporary South Africa?

To mark Heritage Day, 24th September, the South African Cultural Policy Network (SACPN) hosted forums in Johannesburg and Cape Town on Re-Thinking Heritage and the Museum in contemporary South Africa.

This public forums provided a platform for a report on the recent conference of the International Council of Museums held in Japan and the debates around the definition of a museum, as well as interrogated our understanding of heritage in a diverse country such as ours. The forum will also debated the need for a new national museum – as touted by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni – and discussed the role of museums in contemporary South African society.

The SACPN is a South African chapter of the African Cultural Policy Network of which I serve as the President.