By Lucia Gxigxa
The Old Court House Museum in the Durban CBD is aiming to modernise visitor experience by integrating fourth industrial revolution technologies (4IR), despite budget constraints.
The museum’s officials believe that integrating 4IR can enhance educational experiences and expand the audience, however funding remains a challenge.
The museum is part of the Durban Local History Museums network that consists of more than 15 sites, historical buildings, statues and monuments.
According to the acting curator of Old Court House Museum, Rebecca Naidoo, lack of funding remains their biggest headache.
She said that funding is allocated for the basic development of museum procedures and there is no designated curator or manager for implementing this project (integrating 4IR).
Despite these challenges, she outlined the strategies that are being considered for the museum to stay relevant within the accelerated technological advancements.
“At present, we are engaged with a system analysis shop for a software management system for museum collections. This will be a stepping stone in advancing the marketing of the museum collection.”
The DUT Information Technology programme co-ordinator, Professor Richard Millham, agrees that 4IR can have a favourable impact on the preservation of cultural heritage.
He said: “Technology can enable cultural heritage artefacts, transforming them from exclusive resources for specialists to the broader public.”
Millham added that technology has a role in facilitating community engagement and inclusivity in cultural heritage initiatives, particularly for under-represented groups.
“By gaining a deeper understanding of their history (through the digitisation of museums), under-represented groups can empower themselves and develop a stronger connection to their heritage,” he concluded.
An avid museum visitor, Bongani Mnyandu, said that he is optimistic about technology’s potential to digitise museums to enable wider access to art and history for audiences.
“We can use technology to share what we have been taught by our elders. We should avoid relying on information from unknown sources (linked to Google), as this can change our perception of our culture,” he said.
