Nigeria’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, recently visited the Art-Tech District in Abuja, the first digital museum in Nigeria. During the visit, Gbajabiamila advocated for the deployment of technology in preserving Nigeria’s museums and cultural heritage. He also urged the innovative use of technology to tell Nigeria’s story, stating that it could better the country’s cultural and economic development.
Innovative Approach
Accompanied by his wife, Gbajabiamila explored the future of technology, the nation’s cultural heritage, and the role of women in arts. He was taken around the facilities and interactive exhibitions, which leveraged modern technologies like virtual reality to showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and history. Gbajabiamila noted that he has visited museums around the world but was impressed with the innovative approach to preserving and promoting Nigeria’s cultural identity.
Unique in Nigeria and Africa
Gbajabiamila praised the efforts made by the Art-Tech District in filling the gap and projecting Nigeria as being technological. The digital museum is modern, innovative, and technology-driven, making it unique in Nigeria and in Africa.
The museum’s founder, Mosope Olaosebikan, explained that the digital approach was borne out of a desire to bridge the storytelling gap in the country. He added that the museum aimed not only to attract a new generation of visitors but also to create new opportunities for Nigeria’s cultural and economic development.
Olaosebikan appreciated the Speaker’s visit, which came after the museum had hosted other high-profile visitors such as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, and the former World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships, Mari Elka Pangestu. With history having returned to the Nigerian schools’ curriculum, the museum looks forward to welcoming more visitors and continuing its mission to teach, interpret and promote Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage through innovation and technology.
