By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is collaborating with Google to establish a Virtual Currency Museum Gallery.
Deputy Governor, Operations, Mr. Folashodun Shonubi, disclosed this at the International Museums Day (IMD) celebration in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, the virtual museum would enable members of the public to access the currency museum from the comfort of their homes, without having to travel to the physical museum located at the bank’s headquarters in Abuja.
Shonubi said, “Thanks to technology, the Central Bank of Nigeria Currency Museum is working in collaboration with Google and our in-house Information Technology Department (|TD) establish a Virtual Reality Museum.
“This is an approach to connect with the global world for the public to sit back and relax within their comfort zone and view the artefacts on display.”
He said the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘“Museums, Sustainability and Well-being” was designed to link museums in making sure that our environments are sustained globally to make the world a better place, and thus its choice by the International Council of Museums (1COM) as the theme for the 2023”
Also speaking, the Director, Currency Operations of the CBN, Mr. Ahmed Umar said that museums’ vast collections offer almost infinite opportunities to share with visitors, “the ways in which the past informs the present and how the issues of the present can make the past relevant again.”
He added, “Works of art can speak so eloquently about what makes us human, what connects and divides us, what inspires and provokes us and how vital the impulse to make and create has always been across time and geographic boundaries. I believe this kind of perspective is one of the deep-seated needs of our society.
“Museums play an important role in the society. Technology has helped Museums in reaching beyond core audience to new publics. This has been shown in digitalization of collections, virtual tours or something as simple as a hashtag that allows visitors to share their experiences on social media.”
He pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic affected museums very negatively, as people could not visit them during that period.
The director, however, noted that the crisis also served as a catalyst for crucial innovations that have led to increased focus on digitization and the creation of new forms of cultural experience and dissemination.
He said, “COVID-19 has provided a pivotal moment for our society, and we call on all Museums to embrace it and lead the change.
“The time is neigh to rethink our relationships with the communities we serve, to experiment with new and hybrid models of cultural fruition and to strongly reaffirm the essential value of museums for the construction of a just and sustainable future”.
