Museums as public forums for 21st century societies

Abstract

This chapter considers Mutare Museum’s activism in engaging with contemporary issues affecting its immediate community. Mutare Museum is one of the five regional museums and the eastern branch of National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, a government institution mandated to safeguard the cultural heritage of the country. The chapter explores how the museum has sought to reposition itself in light of this newly emerging role, actively engaging multiple communities using exhibitions that seek to stimulate public dialogue and debate. It shows how the museum has sought to undo the legacies of colonialism, transforming itself from a space of didactic authority to one of democratised encounter. The chapter focuses on the Diamond Mining Exhibition which was mounted in the temporary gallery at Mutare Museum and officially opened to the public in May 2012 as a way to explore how the organisation has embraced social activism.

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