Message of President of ICOMAM - National Museum of The Islamic Revolution & Holy Defense
On 18th May 2023, celebration of international museum day was held at national museum of the Islamic Revolution & Holy Defense
On 18th May 2023, celebration of international museum day was held at national museum of the Islamic Revolution & Holy Defense. Here is the message of Paul Van Brakel, president of ICOMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Arms and Military History) to this event:
Dear museum visitors, dear museum staff, dear museum workers and after all, dear museum attendees for this very special day, the International museum day of ICOM.
I am very thankful to have the opportunity to address to you with a few words.
My name is Paul van Brakel, I am from The Netherlands, and I am the chairperson of ICOMAM. This is the International Committee for Museums and Collections with Arms and Military History.
So, military history is our main target the focus on. We are a musicological entity and our task is to be an international platform, with access to everybody around the World, dealing with museological items in this field of interest.
We enhance the academic historic exchange, support publications and be a platform for museum professionals and museum community to discuss about what objects we are safeguarding for the future, how we are displaying it and last but not least, with what purpose we want to show it. It often leads to very, very inspiring discussions.
But these are intrinsic questions. It brings us to the main tasks of a museum, the main task of a monument. We are the saveguarders of objects, the testimony and witnesses of our past. The past that is a part of our identity as well.
Do we want to prevent wars in the future? I am convinced that everybody agrees. Do we want to make an appeal for diplomacy in preventing future wars? Or do we want to show the effects of war and its effects on the decades after it, in order to prevent future generations of it?
These are no easy questions, not easy to answer, but worth to reflect upon. Even now, where we see tensions in the world, among states and among communities. In Europe, just recently, a new war has broken out.
Specially on this International Museum Day I would like to give you these questions with you, to reflect upon when you start the discussions.
I cannot guarantee that museum tasks will lead the world a better place to be, but I think it can contribute. See is as a challenge, let’s face that challenge.
This makes me turning to of the main topic from ICOM for this International Museum Day: Sustainability.
The United Nations have appointed 17 items or goals for the world a better place to be. Among these are for example the elimination of poverty, reduction of the effects of climate change and peace keeping.
I would like to invite you to reflect on it, knowing that we cannot reach our goals in one day. But see it as a challenge.
Specially on this year’s International Museum Day, you can see this as a discussion point for both museums and monuments, where we safeguard our past and reflecting on the future, where we safeguard and reflect on our identity.
I wish you have a very, very, productive day, today. Full of inspiring discussions for our daily work so, that it can contribute to the world a better place to be.
Thank you very much for your attention.