Special talk highlights Sarawak-British Museum heritage partnership

KUCHING, 24 January 2026 – At the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) this morning, a special talk about old photographs and artefacts brought to light a new way for Sarawak to reconnect with its own heritage scattered across the world. The event, “Interpreting Borneo in Britain and Sarawak” by Borneo Research Fellow & Henry Ginsburg Curator for Island Southeast Asia, British Museum, Dr. Jennifer Morris and held at BCM’s auditorium, looked at how historical collections can be shared more meaningfully with the communities they came from.

Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Sarawak, Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah graced the event. Also present at the juncture were MTCP’s Permanent Secretary, Morshidi Fredrick; Sarawak Museum Department Director, Nancy Jolhi; and S.P. Shaw Curator for Southeast Asia, British Museum, Dr. Alexandra Green.

In his appreciation speech, Karim Rahman Hamzah said museums today have become spaces of dialogue, reflection, and knowledge exchange, besides its main function as repositories.

Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah present his appreciation speech at this morning’s juncture.

The focus was the Charles Hose collection, whose photographs and artefacts gathered over a century ago are now housed in museums in the UK. For years, these pieces of Sarawak's history have been physically far from home. That's changing.

Last November, the Sarawak Museum Department (SMD) and British Museum signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise their collaboration.

“This MOU provides a clear framework for continued collaboration in research, collections-based studies, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. More importantly, it reflects a shared understanding that cultural heritage must be approached with integrity, transparency, and mutual respect,” Karim said.

What sets this partnership apart is its community focus. Last year, research teams visited the Baram region to reconnect local communities with collections linked to their ancestors.

“The community engagement activities conducted in the Baram region last year demonstrate a commendable commitment to reconnecting museum collections with source communities,” the Minister said, emphasising a key principle: “Heritage research must not be extractive in nature; it must be reciprocal, inclusive, and grounded in respect for local knowledge and lived experience.”

The most accessible achievement is the entire Charles Hose photographic collection that has been digitised and put online. Anyone can now browse these historical images of Sarawak.

“By making these materials available online, the project has created an invaluable public resource that will support future research into Sarawak's history, anthropology, and cultural landscapes. This is especially important for younger generations,” Karim said.

Dr. Jennifer Morris presents her special talk titled “Interpreting Borneo in Britain and Sarawak”.

Besides academic value, the Minister sees practical benefits, saying that culture and heritage are integral components of Sarawak’s tourism strategy, creative industry aspirations, and commitment to sustainable development.

He commended Nancy “for her leadership, professionalism, and forward-looking approach” and the British Museum team for “their continued commitment to collaboration, openness, and long-term engagement with Sarawak.”

The event showed how heritage can be shared across borders while keeping communities involved. “It also demonstrates Sarawak's readiness to engage as an equal and respected partner in international heritage discourse,” Karim concluded, adding that for a student browsing those digitised photos online, or an elder from Baram recognising an ancestor in a century-old image, this partnership means Sarawak's stories are finally coming home - not locked away, but shared with everyone.

Group photo after the special talk session.