The State government has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, to enhance the accurate documentation of historical facts and the cultural heritage of the people and the State.
The State Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme made the acknowledgement when he received officials of the Commission in his office at the Government House, Asaba.
Sir Onyeme said the documentation of historical facts and cultural heritage through museums and monuments was key, as it would ensure that the people did not lose their cultural identity .
He stressed the need for the people and institutions to document and write their history themselves, to avoid it being written by others, which might not be to their advantage.
Citing the example of the historical purported discovery of the River Niger by the British explorer Mungo park, even when Africans had long been carrying out economic activities on the banks of the river, the deputy governor advised Africans to begin to write their own history.
He affirmed that museums and monuments were important platforms through which the historical and cultural heritage of a people was preserved, for future generations.
Sir Onyeme promised that the government would collaborate with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in its upcoming activities such as the Royal Exhibition, the International Day of mother tongue, the National Museum Day and the international Day for heritage and sites, geared towards highlighting the cultural heritage of the people.
The Curator in Charge of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Asaba, Elder Idika-Kalu Uche said the Mungo Park House in Asaba had been restored with the help of the state government and other well meaning Deltans.
Elder Idika -Kalu who gave a detailed explanation of its determined efforts to preserve the history and cultural heritage of the people through museums and monuments, solicited the support of the state government towards organizing its outlined programmes .
He said Delta state had one of the richest cultural destinations in the country, and if properly showcased, would serve as a veritable source of job creation
