Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) is celebrating Literacy Week with the theme “My Country My Story”. Yesterday its young students visited the National Museum & Arts Gallery to gain cultural knowledge.
Its children, enrolled in BbP’s ECE program, studied the importance of the ocean, village, forest and animals in PNG culture through craft activities and story-telling by parents and officers from the National Museum of PNG. The children will be displaying their stories, which will be added to the BbP learning app so all children across the country can share their culture and customs.
BbP believes that it is vital for children to learn about culture and customs other than their own, and to appreciate the unique contribution made to Papua New Guinea’s cultural heritage by communities around the country.
Loretta Hasu, Manager of the museum’s Access, Education & Public programs said, “The PNG National Museum & Arts Gallery is excited to work closely with partners to bring Museum education to schools. For this year 2021, we are excited to partner with Buk Bilong Pikinini through its literacy week program, where we will see the Museum educations’ staff visit schools to deliver museum education activities to the different Buk Bilong Pikinini libraries around Port Moresby.”
“This type of program is not new as it is part of the ongoing strive of the National Museum & Arts Gallery through its Outreach Program. The Outreach Program provides access to the Museum’s collections for people who may find it difficult to visit our museum for reasons that include age and geographical distance. Our outreach programs bring subjects to life through dynamic presentations and project-based, hands-on activities so the children can appreciate PNG`s culture.
“In our endeavor to contribute towards nation building, the driving idea of ‘Connecting Communities, Celebrating Identities’, is the vision that drives all Museum programs and activities by reaching out to schools and communities through our education and awareness programs. We are grateful to have Buk Bilong Pikinini onboard this year to engage and work closely with the Museum Education team and we look forward to more collaborative projects in the future,” Hasu said.