Antiquities of the past fascinate people because they depict culture and the development of human civilisation. In this regard, holy relics are especially venerated as a legacy of saints. As it is believed that these were used by the saints, the relics are said to possess spiritual powers that would bless the onlookers. Hence these are preserved and exhibited in places of worship.

Historical antiquities are brought to light through archaeological excavations, and earlier, such findings were taken away from the sites to be kept in the palaces of either rulers or the nobles who patronised the excavations. When the old Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompey were excavated, the findings were taken away by the king of Naples.

The nobles of Europe maintained personal collections of antiquities in order to display their wealth and interest in history. For example, Cardinal Mazarin (d.1661), the chief minister of France, possessed a large number of statues, paintings and other historical items. Later on, the situation changed and the practice of establishing museums as a repository of antiquities started.

Museums aren’t just storehouses; they are repositories of our shared history

The first museum was founded in Uffizi Palace in Italy in 1581, and others in Vatican in 1740, the British Museum in 1753 and the Louvre in 1809. Other countries followed suit and an opportunity was provided to people to visit the museums and observe the evolutionary process of civilisation.

Museums not only represent national identity but also a global perspective. They indicate that the evolution of civilisation and its development is not confined to one country or place but contributed to by many nations. That is why different ethnic groups want to exhibit their culture in museums.

In the US, there are splendid museums which house rare antiquities from different places representing various past civilisations but these museums do not fully represent the original inhabitants and their culture. Same is the case with the African-American population, whose ancestors were brought to the new world as slaves. Despite being oppressed and exploited, they have a definite culture of their own but it is not a part of any national museum of America. Realising the importance of museums, the African-American community established a private museum in the city of Baltimore.

It is situated in a private house. On reaching it, I found that the majority of visitors were African-Americans. I detected only one white man in the crowd. The museum was organised privately by the community to exhibit their past.

The museum shows their history and how their ancestors were brought to the new world in ships as slaves and deprived of their freedom. It is a truly horrible sight to see them chained and crowded in a small space throughout their journey from Africa to the new world. They are shown in the slave market being sold as chattels. The living conditions of the slaves in the plantations where they worked is particularly shown in detail that shows how horrible the lives of the slaves were and how they endured torture and hardship. Their ordeal, suffering and the way they were punished is also depicted. They were flogged by their white masters, lynched and hanged to death in front of a white crowd. The museum is a modest attempt to preserve their history and culture that has not been exhibited in the national museums.

Similarly, the native population of America known as the ‘Red Indians’, have also displayed their history in small museums to depict how they were treated by the whites who massacred them, seized their land and destroyed their culture. They are also trying to preserve their cultural heritage in museums.

Interestingly, Americans are interested in collecting rare antiquities from Europe and from the rest of the world to enrich their museums. However, their lack of interest in exhibiting African culture and Indian history and heritage is politically motivated. They do not like to revive the past memories of the harsh treatment they meted out to the slaves and the brutalities they committed among the native Indian population. They want to ignore the bitter past instead of remembering it.

In Pakistan, we inherited two museums which were set up by the British government of India, one in Lahore and another in Peshawar. The government of Pakistan established a national museum in Karachi and collected antiquities for display, yet it requires more historical material which would indicate the rich heritage of the country. Although the Sindh government established one in Hyderabad, Balochistan is deprived of a museum. There are smaller museums on excavations sites like Taxila, Mohanjodaro and Harrappa. However, all these museums are not well-organised like other museums of the world. We are not aware of the importance of museums and their impact on understanding history and culture. In fact, museums are a great source of national identity.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, August 16th, 2015

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