Preserving the Past, Empowering the Future: connecting communities and collections in Bangladesh

Museum collections and heritage sites are globally at risk from multiple, sudden and protracted natural and human caused risks, including rapid unchecked development, conflict and climate change. In response, the Cultural Protection Fund, managed by the British Council in partnership with the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, was set up in 2016 to safeguard cultural heritage at risk and to contribute to sustainable development.

In Bangladesh, the Cultural Protection Fund has partnered with the Varendra Research Museum in Rajshahi Division. Founded in 1916 in Rajshahi by members of the Varendra Research Society, it represents one of the earliest private purpose-built museums in South Asia which houses unique collections that are now threatened by climate change and limited resources.

Preserving the Past, Empowering the Future showcases how Durham University’s UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage team, alongside the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, have worked together with the Varendra Research Museum and University of Rajshahi to develop and deliver a programme of training to strengthen staff capacity in collections care, cataloguing, story-telling and disaster risk management. The training also promoted the co-design of engagement programmes to break down barriers with local communities, transforming the museum from a perception of an exclusive resource for scholars to an active community asset.

This display will also include the co-produced exhibition A History of Bangladesh in 25 Objects. Developed with the Varendra Research Museum staff, and using a selection of objects from the museum’s own collections, it traces the story of the region from prehistory to the present tackling themes of empire(s), religious transitions and social transformations. This exhibition actively links these objects to their sites and communities in a celebration of both the tangible and intangible heritage of Bangladesh.