SMP 2025: History Comes Alive For Kids With “Kurator Cilik”

By Siti Azila Alias

BATU KAWAN, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Department of Museums Malaysia (JMM) has introduced a unique and educational experience called ‘Kurator Cilik’ (Little Curator) in conjunction with the 2025 National Unity Week (SMP) celebration held at the grounds of Stadium Batu Kawan, here.

Part of the department’s ‘Susur Masa’ (Time Trail) exhibition, Kurator Cilik targets young visitors, particularly primary and secondary school students, offering them a hands-on opportunity to experience life as a professional archaeology curator.

Assistant Curator of the Exhibition and Development Division at JMM, Noor Wahida Hasan, said the programme was not a typical museum activity, but rather an education module based on the national school syllabus, crafted to be practical and interactive.

The experience is divided into two components — excavation and conservation — reflecting two key aspects of archaeological curation.

“Excavation involves fieldwork — research and discovery — and here we simulate the real thing. We provide them with basic tools such as gloves and hats so they can feel what it’s like to be in the field, while also introducing them to the curator profession,” she told Bernama.

“Many children are familiar with jobs like doctors or engineers, but when I mention ‘curator’, it’s something they’ve never heard of. This programme is meant to spark their interest in this field,” she said.

For the conservation section, participants learn how to handle replicas of artifacts such as the ‘Perak Man’, assess their condition, and perform basic restoration techniques on pottery and ceramics — mimicking the real process before an artifact is displayed in a museum.

“Today is the highlight of Kurator Cilik — we’re bringing in a replica of a dinosaur fossil for excavation. Stocks are limited, and the lucky few may even get to take a dinosaur home,” she added.

Noor Wahida said her team took months to develop the modules and source appropriate materials, hoping the effort would deepen public understanding of the museum field — not just from a historical standpoint, but also through the lenses of art and technology.

Other attractions at the Kurator Cilik space include prehistoric jewellery made from seashells and a 10-foot cave wall replica, where visitors can create prehistoric-style drawings alongside museum staff.

Noor Wahida said the Susur Masa exhibition takes visitors on a journey from the prehistoric Stone Age, through the trading era of the Malay Peninsula, the Melaka Sultanate, colonisation, and up to the development of modern Malaysian culture.

The exhibition showcases a wide array of authentic and replica artifacts brought specially from the National Museum, including Neolithic adzes, seashells, iron fragments, and stones from the prehistoric era, along with authentic Malaysian traditional foods.

Since opening on Thursday, the exhibition has drawn strong crowds from school groups, families, and individuals eager to explore the nation’s history, arts, and cultural heritage.

The SMP 2025 celebration from Thursday (July 17) to Sunday features over 40 major activities, including 22 ethnic house exhibitions under the Rumah KAMI concept, Kadazan Dusun and Orang Asli village exhibits, Foodunites, Malaysia Tanah Airku exhibition, traditional sports, cultural performances, book fairs, and ethnic competitions in boria, dance, fashion, and more.

More than 250,000 visitors from all walks of life, backgrounds, religions, and cultures have joined SMP 2025, making it a powerful platform for uniting Malaysians through shared heritage.

-- BERNAMA