Bloggers campaign for museum protection
SMN No. 2, May 24, 2010
Syrian officials have revoked a decision allowing museums and national monuments to be hired for private occasions after a campaign in the Syrian blogosphere, a move hailed as a triumph for alternative electronic media
On April 24, the pro-government website Syria News highlighted news that a Syrian couple were married at one of Damascus’s historical museums last September after renting the space for 200,000 Syrian pounds (4,000 US dollars). It said that museums were now open for private functions subject to the approval of the culture minister, Riad Naasan Agha.
The news sparked a wave of disapproval from Syrian bloggers.
One blog, called “Spanish waves on the Syrian Euphrates” and run by a Syrian living in Spain, argued that the decision endangered ancient palaces and museums
The writer said in an April 26 post that it was odd to argue that such a move would help make ancient monuments better known and increase the revenue of the culture ministry, as one official had told Syria News.
The blog said that organising cultural activities and awareness campaigns around historical buildings and monuments would achieve those goals without endangering the places and their contents.
Another blogger, Nasamat al-Sham, also attacked the decision, saying in an April 25 post that there was nothing positive about it. He said that the decision undermines the “privacy as well as the historical and heritage value” of museums.
Following the online campaign against the decision, Agha announced in the official newspaper Tishreen on May 5 that he would revoke it.
The topic was widely discussed in blogs and several Syrian news websites and bloggers said the minister’s change of mind was evidence of the power of the electronic media.
One blog site called “The nation of light and darkness” said in a May 6 post that online material was starting to be taken seriously by officials.
The blogger praised the minister’s attitude and suggested cyberspace had become an effective tool for freedom of expression that could force change in Syria.
He wondered whether Syrian online media had surpassed traditional media in the way it relates to everyday lives and inspires change for the better in the country.
