Every year since 1977, ICOM (International Community of Museums) organizes International Museum Day. The Union of Museum joined this big event.
The theme of the year is “Museums and Contested Histories: Saying Unspeakable in museums’’. History is a vital tool for defining a given people`s identity, and each of us defines ourselves through important and fundamental historic events. Contested histories are unfortunately not isolated traumatic events. These histories, which are often little known or misunderstood, resonate universally, as they concern and affect us all.
Museums ask fundamental questions about any society by providing tools that encourage critical reflection on the issues of memory that shape it or tear it apart. Using a variety of museum methods and different ways of displaying contested histories offers tools for the critical appropriation and acceptance of the past and the establishment of a dialogue to help reconcile memories.
