Accra, May 18, GNA - The Ghana Museums and Monuments Board is on Wednesday joining the world to celebrate International Museums Day, which has been set aside by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) for museum institutions to create public awareness about the role they play in the development process of nation states.

A statement issued by the GMMB signed by Mr Barth Opoku Acheampong, Assistant Director, said a month-long programme of activities had been planned from May 18-June 17 to mark the occasion. The theme for this year's celebration is 93Museums and Memory." The activities include a public lecture and media interaction and a special exhibition on Ghana, both in Ho in the Volta Region; an open house for selected teachers at the National Museum in Accra; free entry to all GMMB facilities across the country from Wednesday May 18-22 and free film shows on Ghanaian culture at all GMMB regional offices from may 18-June 17.

The statement said ICOM established the International Museum Day in 1977 as a special moment for the global museum community. "On this day, participating museums interpret issues affecting cultural organisations. Museum professionals also have the opportunity to meet their publics to let them know that culture, and for that matter museum, is a key component of all successful development initiatives." The statement said museums preserved memories and told stories that reminded people of their past and their present so that they could plan for their future. "Museums therefore have in their collections numerous objects that are fundamental to the memory of the communities we live in. These objects (collections) are the expression of peoples' natural and cultural heritage.

Many of these objects are fragile. Some endangered, and so need special care and conservation." The statement said this year's celebration would be an opportunity for Ghanaians to rediscover their individual collective memories.