Preserve artifacts to aid learning of nation’s history
Lack of proper record keeping on artifacts in the museums has contributed to the decline of Ghanaians’ inability to know their historical and cultural background, the Executive Director of Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Dr Zagba Narh, has observed.
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According to him, it was time Ghanaians preserved artifacts and other materials that were important in the museums to facilitate the learning of the nation’s history.
Dr Narh was speaking at an exhibition organised by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, in collaboration with the British Museum, to unveil the ancestors’ figurines discovered from Koma land.
The exhibition, which showcased some ancestral figurines such as stylised human head, combined human and animal head, stylised face with arms, sought to inform and educate the public on the need to know its historical background.
Brief on Koma land
Koma land, named after the current people living in the Northern Region, covers an area of approximately 100 by 100 kilometres. The land is popularly known colloquially as “overseas” due to the absence of a road network.
Findings
In a presentation, a senior lecturer at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana, Mr Samuel N. Nkumbaan, observed that the artifacts projected the country as a complex society woven with historical and ancestral activities in the sixth centuries.
According to him, the acquisition of these artifacts was as a result of the development that took place among migrated towns including Mole-Dagbani, Sisili and kulpawn in the sixties.
“Although the tribes behind these artifacts are not known, archaeologists are still investigating to identify these tribes,” Mr Nkumban said.
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Benefit
He said proper record keeping of these artifacts in the museum would help educate and inform the public on the need to be familiar with the history of Africa, especially with their tribes.
Mr Nkumbaan said the artifacts would also help boost the tourism sector, adding that the government and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board must concentrate on the heritage sector of the country.
A representative of the British Museum, Professor M.D. McLeod, said the museum would organise a workshop to sensitise the public to the need to keep the artifacts and be familiar with the history of Africa.
He appealed to the government to provide sufficient resources to facilitate ongoing research and modernise the museum to attract investors who are speacialised in archaeology.