Sharjah celebrates International Museums Day

Event is open to the public on all three days: Friday 17 and Saturday 18 May, 4-7pm and on Sunday 19 May 9am-1pm.

SMD will be organising a variety of enjoyable cultural activities and events on this occasion, which serves as a platform to raise public awareness about the important role museums play in society, and to encourage the younger generations to actively take part in museum activities, engage in dialogue and contribute to the development of their societies.

On the sidelines of its celebration, SMD will conduct a number of competitions, including 'An opportunity to present your creative short film'where contestants are invited to make a short film about one or more of Sharjah's Museums.

Other competitions include the 'Poetic Writing' competition where participants will engage in writing poetry about one of the collections at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, and the 'Heritage Inspiration' competition where contestants will participate in designing a costume inspired by the UAE's heritage. Winners will be announced during the celebrations that run from 17-19 May.

The programme will also include a number of workshops and theatrical performances and shows, such as 'Our Heritage between Past and Present', and 'the Golden Age'.

A Panel discussion titled 'Museums: A link between Generations' will take place on Sunday, 19 May at 5pm, as part of SMD's International Museum Day celebrations. The event, which targets the younger generation, aims to highlight the role museums play in the community and the importance of engaging younger generations in cultural and social discussions in a creative manner. The panel will feature a group of students from the Youth Centres in Sharjah.

International Museum Day came into being in 1977 after the International Council of Museums (ICOM) endorsed the establishment of a day to increase public awareness on the role of museums in the development of society and the importance of museums as educational and cultural institutions during its meeting in Moscow.

Every year since 1977, the worldwide community of museums observes International Museum Day, which is celebrated this year to highlight the important role museums play in development of society, as museums are no longer buildings where humanity's historical, heritage and cultural treasures are simply preserved but have become scientific and interactive learning centres that actively contribute to the promotion of knowledge and science as well as humanity's heritage in all fields.