1. Museum Curatorship (Mus-414)
By Simbarashe Shadreck Chitima

2. Objectives of the Module
The module empowers students with skills of curatorial research, exhibition design, tour guiding, documentation, conservation issues, exhibition marketing, museum outreach programmes and project management. It also presents the aspect of museum publication as a follow up to curatorial or laboratory research. This module also focuses on the development of interpretive museum exhibitions including theory, planning, research, methodologies, design, construction, installation; and the application of new technologies.

3. Topics to be covered include
1. What is a curator and the roles of a curator?
2. Museum exhibitions and interpretation – an overview
3. Exhibition building in museums – design, planning and management
4. Museum display – a curator’s and designer’s perspectives
5. Representing cultures – museums and communities they represent
6. Approaches to interpretation and interpretive planning
7. Museum interpretation evaluation and assessment
8. Tour Guiding
9. Audience research – purpose, methods,
10. Museum enlivening skills
11. ICT, museum exhibitions and interpretation

4. Issues to consider (1)Cultural rights of minority cultures
The term cultural right began to be established towards the end of the 1990s, when it was included in the second and third generation human rights. When the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was being formulated in 1996, cultural rights were included in the package although their more exhaustive definitions did not come up for discussion until the early 1990s.

5. Scholars Like Stamatopoulou (2004) generally lists the following as part of the overall education and cultural rights: the right to free practice or enjoyment of arts and culture, the right to spot culture and institutions, the right to cultural and leisure services (Theatres, Orchestra), the right to cultural institutions (Museums, Art galleries, education and other institutions for non-profit arts and leisure activities) and the right to information. Cultural diversity also means acceptance of plurality and secularity and acceptance and tolerance to different cultures.

6. How has and how can museums deal with issues of cultural rights?
According to the ICOM code of Ethics, museums have particular responsibilities to all for the care, accessibility and interpretation of that material held in their collections. Museums have a particular responsibility for making collections and all relevant information available as freely as possible, having regard to restraints arising for reasons of confidentiality and security.

7. Involving the communities may be in the form of inviting local communities to forums, workshops and seminars. There is need for vigorous outreach and community awareness about the importance of their culture. Some communities may actually destroy archaeological objects without knowing and destroy sites through human activities. This has been the case in Gwanda, Zimbabwe were several rock art paintings (Cave of Hands) are destroyed through graffiti. Many archaeological collections are piling in Museum store rooms because they may not be able to deal with them. An example is of the Zimbabwe Human Science Museums, archaeological unit where human remains are piled without use because they don’t have anatomical specialist. In such a situation it is better if there is adequate documentation for museums to return and rebury the human remains near where there were excavated. This may occur again if there is a claim.

8. Museums should assist communities in repatriating cultural objects taken from their cultures. This can be done between museum to museum relationships. The National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, has been successful in repatriating the ‘Mukwati Walking stick’ and the Zimbabwe birds that were taken during colonisation

9. Conclusion
It is imperative for museums to consider, consult and partner with minority cultures in the curation of their culture for exhibitions. This avoids criticism from minority cultures. The advantage of involving them is that minority cultures will have buy in exhibitions organised by the museum. It also lead to better marketing of the exhibition to minority cultures.