MUSEUMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Liverpool set for conference which combats discrimination
A conference for museums which fight injustice gets underway in Liverpool next month.
The Federation of International Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) will meet from 9-10 October.
The conference is coordinated by National Museums Liverpool and is held at the International Slavery Museum at the Albert Dock.
Dr David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool and President of FIHRM said: “This is our third conference and it’s fantastic to see it growing into a truly global movement. We have speakers and delegates attending from Africa, Asia, America, and Europe.”
People interested in social justice and human rights are welcome to attend the free event but need to register in advance at www.fihrm.org.
Just a few of the subjects covered this year include: the Nuremberg Trials, gender inequality in Nigeria and human rights photography in the aftermath of terror at Utoya, Norway.
Dr Fleming added: “FIHRM and the International Slavery Museum have become an international hub for human rights. We hope this year’s conference will be thought-provoking and inspiring. The common goal is to tackle injustice and discrimination while sharing knowledge and experience.”
Institutions represented include the Vietnam Women’s Museum, Mexico’s Commission for Human Rights and Gambia National Museum.
FIHRM was launched in 2010 to bring together some of the world’s leading museums and organisations which deal with sensitive and controversial subjects such as transatlantic slavery and the Holocaust.
FIHRM offers proactive ways in which museums and institutions can work together to challenge forms of racism, discrimination and human rights abuses.
Members include key international institutions which are leaders in field of social justice such as Canadian Museum For Human Rights, Te Papa (the National Museum of New Zealand), National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian) and UNESCO.
For more details on the conference go to: www.fihrm.org
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About National Museums Liverpool
National Museums Liverpool comprises eight venues. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic.
We attract more than three million visitors every year. Our venues are World Museum, Museum of Liverpool, the Walker Art Gallery, Merseyside Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, UK Border Agency National Museum, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Art Gallery.
About the International Slavery Museum
The International Slavery Museum opened in August 2007. This summer it will welcome its two millionth visitor. It is the only museum of its kind to look at aspects of historical and contemporary slavery as well as being an international hub for resources on human rights issues.