I have been waiting for this museum to open during my stay in Kuching for 2 years plus. Unfortunately, the opening was delayed due to the pandemic. It only opens after I left Kuching for good. Thankfully months later, I have the opportunity to pay a visit when I return to Kuching again.
To be honest, as a Malaysian, I don't usually visit local museums as I travel around the country. The reason is obvious, the local museums are usually not well maintained and little items are displayed. In fact, I actually consider myself as a history freak and I love to visit museums and galleries when I travel abroad.
Well, Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, Sarawak, totally turned my impression around. To begin with, the architecture of the museum building is already majestic. Inside, there are various interactive platforms for the visitors to understand the history and cultures of Borneo. The items and relics on displayed are vast and valuable, not the one or two pieces you usually see in other local museums. I am glad that the archaeology and preservation work are really good in this part of Malaysia.
The best item I love in the museum is the official document proclaiming the independence of Sarawak and the forming of Malaysia. I learnt this piece of history from the textbook but I have never seen the actual writing of the document. Reading the words of the legal document fills the gap of this historical event in my mind.
In conclusion, this museum definitely upholds the standard of museum. When Malaysians boast of our rich culture across different ethics, this museum is the concrete proof of that. I hope that museums like this will be erected across all sites in Malaysia, especially the Word Heritage Cities like Penang and Malacca.
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对于大马人而言，国内的博物馆鲜少会引起大家的兴趣。这其中的原因不外是馆内的展示品匮乏及设施的不完善。通常买了票，只需逛一圈就看完了。位于古晋的婆罗洲文化博物馆，是一个例外，它可说是一座世界级的博物馆。博物馆的外观设计宏伟，里面有许多科技化的互动平台。展示厅里的文物非常齐全，来到古晋一定非去不可。如果没有念过本国历史的访客，要细细看完至少要三个小时以上吧。就算我选择性的看，也花了两个小时左右。
对我而言，里面最有意义的文物就是砂拉越州独立及加入马来亚的宣言了。能够亲眼阅读这份意义非凡的历史文件，好好补充了我对这部分历史的记忆。这份珍贵的文件，奠定了沙巴及砂拉越现今的局势。虽然这近半个世纪的事件在历史长河里微不足道，但深深影响活在这个世代的我们。今后一百年，这片土地又会有什么变化呢？
