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From climate change to political unrest - the threats to cultural heritage are real and often urgent. So, how do we protect cultural heritage in a rapidly changing world? A partnership between our Department of Archaeology and the Varendra Research Museum in Bangladesh is helping to answer this.
Global expertise
The project aims to help museum professionals to better protect and safeguard collections that face growing risks from climate change, environmental pressures and limited resources. It is led by Durham's UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage team.
The work includes specialist training in collections care, digitisation of archives, disaster risk management and community engagement.
Connecting communities and collections
New opportunities for engagement and participation were created by working closely with local communities.
Museum staff co-curated and hosted a heritage festival, turning the museum into a stage for cultural celebration and performance. This connected the objects in the museum with the vibrant living traditions of its neighbours and local communities.
This approach is reshaping the museum as a space where communities can explore, celebrate and share their heritage, while continuing to serve as a valuable resource for scholars. It also helps safeguard both tangible and intangible cultural heritage for future generations through community involvement.
Bringing Bangladesh's stories to life
As part of the programme, participants also co-designed an exhibition telling a history of Bangladesh through its ancient and modern collections.
By bringing stories to life, the Varendra Research Museum's artefacts become a vehicle to reveal changing empires, religious traditions and social transformations that have shaped the region for thousands of years.
Now the story of this partnership is told in a powerful new photo exhibition at the Oriental Museum in Durham, UK.
'Preserving the past, empowering the Future: connecting communities and collections in Bangladesh' is our first display dedicated to the heritage of Bangladesh. It highlights how international collaboration and skill sharing can help safeguard heritage for future generations.
It also includes a photographic, and interactive version of the exhibition curated at the Varendra Research Museum which uses 25 remarkable objects to explore stories of Bangladesh from prehistory to the present day.
