18 May: ‘Museums that unite a divided world’ at the University of Parma
A morning of talks and a special free opening of the MUST to mark ICOM Day 2026.
On 18 May, the University of Parma will take part in International Museum Day – ICOM 2026, dedicated to the theme ‘Museums uniting a divided world’: the Sistema Museale di Ateneo is participating with a wide-ranging programme of initiatives aimed at promoting the role of museums as spaces for dialogue, inclusion and cultural exchange.
The highlight of the day will be a series of talks exploring the theme proposed by ICOM, offering food for thought on the contribution that museums can make to fostering social cohesion and intercultural understanding. The talks will be delivered by academics, experts and professionals from the museum sector, as well as representatives from local associations.
Attendance at the conferences is free of charge, but registration via an online form is required.
On the same day, the University’s Museum of Natural History (MUST) will be open for a special session from 10 am to 4pm, with free admission. You can also book a guided tour by emailing musnat@unipr.it.
All participants in the educational activities will be issued with a certificate of attendance upon request.
The initiative represents an important opportunity to bring the public closer to the museum’s heritage and to reaffirm the value of museums as places for people to meet and build communities.
The lectures will take place in the MUST Auditorium, at the University’s main campus (Via Università 12). At 9.30 am, an introduction by Donato A. Grasso, the Rector’s Delegate for Museum Activities. This will be followed by the various lectures: at 9.40 am, Renato Bruni Scientific Director of the Botanical Garden (The Green Paradox: biodiversity in the south, specimens in the north); at 10.00, the Scientific Director of MUST, Davide Persico (Ethnographic Collections within the MUST Museum Experience); at 10.20, Professor of Demo-Ethno-Anthropology Sandrino Luigi Marra (Gentle Decolonisation: The Case of the Piola and Ferrante Collections); at 10.40 am, Enathe Marekabiri, President of the Menya Association (Testimony on the experience of the genocide in Rwanda and Belgian interference following Congo’s independence); at 11 am, Andrea Bui, educator and researcher at the Centro Studi Movimenti in Parma (The explorer lost to oblivion: Vittorio Bottego between myth, history and colonial repression). At 11.30 am, a free guided tour of the MUST for participants.
