Museums and refugees work on new approaches

Keeping Cultures: Museums and refugees work together to define new approaches to identity and heritage

It has been estimated that around one in every twenty people living in London is a refugee or asylum seeker - thirty times higher than the UK average.

These are voices that are rarely heard and often misrepresented in the popular media. Increasingly museums are exploring how culture and heritage can promote greater inter-cultural understanding.

Since 2004, 64,000 people visited exhibitions, events and films sharing the fascinating insights and stories of London's refugee communities thanks to the innovative work of the Refugee Heritage Programme, Museum of London and London Museums Hub. This four year long programme saw people from Kurdish, Afghan and diverse African communities in London work with their local museums to explore and share their cultures. The programme was evaluated to see what impact this work had on the refugee communities, the organisations they worked with and the communities they live in. The programme findings will be launched on the eve of Keeping Cultures conference, Museum in Docklands, 13 and 14 March 2008.

This international conference will feature keynote addresses by Jacqueline Parlevliet, UNCHR Deputy Representative to the UK and Clara Arokiasamy, Chair of the London Mayor's Heritage and Diversity Taskforce. The conference will bring together professionals and members from refugee community organisations from all over the world, including Rwanda, US, Canada, Australia, France, Italy and the UK.

Speakers will question what role museums can and ought to be playing in refugee issues. Can and should partnerships between museums and refugees empower refugees or represent their interests to government? In some countries museums have been seen as potential agencies for confirming or building common values and identities in response to the arrival of new communities. Questions of heritage and identity have taken centre stage in political debates about community cohesion. Should museums be influencing social change in this politically charged arena rather than just responding to it?

Professor Jack Lohman, Director of the Museum of London and the London Museums Hub, says, "Diversity and inclusion are of great importance to the vitality of London's museums. With our rapidly changing population, it is important that new communities are given the opportunity to share and preserve their heritage. I hope this new report and exciting conference will challenge the region's museums to think about how their collections and activities can reflect their local communities.'

Places are still available for the Keeping Cultures Conference on 13 & 14 March 2008. For programme details and for booking please visit
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/refugees

Notes

1. If you would like to interview a conference speaker from Museums and Refugees Keeping Cultures conference or to get a copy of the evaluation report please contact Shabana Pathan, Hub Communications Officer on 020 7814 5786 or spathan@museumoflondon.org.uk

2. The Hub seeks to work with and support museums to maximise access for London's diverse communities. A recent DCMS report 'Culture on demand' used the Hub's Refugee Heritage Programme as an exemplar of how innovative initiatives can genuinely overcome barriers and increase cultural engagement

3. The Evaluation report Keeping Cultures showed that as well as giving migrant and refugee communities a voice, the museum's work was an effective vehicle for encouraging personal development and learning, stronger social contacts within and between communities and greater intercultural understanding. The projects turned non visitors from refugee communities into independent users of museums and increased their knowledge of their local neighbourhood.

4. The report highlights the inclusive contribution museums and culture can make to community cohesion agendas. The projects presented complex identities, championing inclusion, rather than focusing on a narrowly defined version of 'Britishness'. One audience member said: I learnt that people from Africa do not fold their arms but are doing their best to integrate into this society and share their own values'

5. About the London Museums Hub
Funded by the MLA, the London Museums Hub, a partnership of some of the region's flagship museums, invests in and transforms the 250 or so non-national museums in the London region. The Hub's key role is to promote London's non-national museums,

6. Renaissance

Renaissance is the Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Council's £150million
programme to transform England's regional museums. For the first time ever,
investment from central government is helping regional museums across the country to raise their standards and deliver real results in support of education, learning, community development and economic regeneration. A network of 'Hubs' has been set up in each English region to act as flagship museums and help promote good practice.
Alongside the Hubs, MLA Regional Agencies and Museum Development Officers are providing advice and support, Subject Specialist Networks have been set up, and national museums are sharing their skills and collections to ensure Renaissance benefits the entire museums sector. Renaissance is helping museums to meet people's changing needs - and to change people's lives.

For further information contact Shabana Pathan, Hub Communications Officer on 0207814 5786 or spathan@museumoflondon.org.uk