Museum of Croatian Diaspora and Centre for Investigation of Global Migrations - Project Tuga Tarle!

S I G M a

Museum of Croatian Diaspora and Centre for Investigation of Global Migrations

PROJECT

SIGMa is the provisional name for the Museum of Croatian Diaspora and Centre for Investigation of Global Migrations

• CONCEPT
• AIMS

- SPHERES OF INTEREST

- ACTIVITIES

• SPACE
• BUILDING
• EMPLOYEES
• FINANCING
• COLLABORATION

CONCEPT: to preserve, investigate, evaluate and present to these and future generations

• the experience of Croatian immigrants
• the material and spiritual richness of Croatian migrants, national minorities and world migrations

- To develop the understanding of particular needs and issues in multicultural societies

The above concept includes three crucial aspects of social relations of the contemporary world:

• zastita ljudskih prava, dostojanstva, stvaralastva I povijesnog iskustva migranata
• razvijanje razumijevanja za multikulturne oblike drustva
• skrb o razvoju lokalnih zajednica te zastiti povijesnih jezgri gradova

DESCRIPTION: 

 

SIGMa is not envisioned as an exclusively scientific institution, nor as a typical old-fashioned museum with several annual exhibitions. The vision of SIGMa is as a lively meeting point of world-class scientists, experts, immigrants, returning immigrants, artists, tourists, students, people interested in architecture and people looking for their roots. SIGMa should be located in Rijeka (the town on the northern end of the Croatian Adriatic Coast) since Rijeka was the most important transitional port from which our people and our neighbours have been emigrating to the world for centuries. SIGMa should be an architectural attraction at the level of Gugenheim or Millenium Dome in London, or an even more inspirational creation of talented young architects. With SIGMa we would get a strong new cultural centre, the kind of which does not exist in this part of the world. Croatia needs an authentic and recognisable attraction that would be able to attract world travellers with its energy. The only successful world attractions these days are the breathtaking ones.

What does SIGMa mean?

 

SIGMa is the acronym obtained from the working title of the project “Centre for the Investigation of World Migrations. The working title does not specify that it is also a museum of Croatian Immigration (MCM!), which is required to describe the content of this institution which encompasses the programmes of a cultural centre, museum, investigation centre, workgroup, educational centre, scientific forum, entertainment and recreational centre and a tourist attraction.

Why call it a Centre?

 

SIGMa is a single centre that is based on two main principles:

• permanent exhibitions, library, database, archive, conventions, lectures, cultural events and meetings on the topic of Croatian immigrants, national minorities and world migrations
• university post and laboratory for investigation of the phenomenon of immigration, multiculturalism, minorities, ghettos

Why does it involve investigation?

 

SIGMa should be a forum for migrations. In order for SIGMa to become such a forum it needs to have a scientific research laboratory for investigation of causes, problems, effects and issues of world migrations in a world context (immigrants, emigrants, refugees, world travellers, stateless people, ethnic cleansing, ghettos, multicultural societies). Without a systematic and continuous study of this subject it is not possible to evaluate and present the material and spiritual inheritance of immigration.

Why is it global?

 

Currently in the world there is no centre that offers such a multi-faceted cultural and scientific content on the issue of immigration. There are several museums, organisations and institutes which investigate the same issues, but currently there is no centre that encompasses a museum, cultural centre and a scientific-research laboratory. Creating a permanent symbol of Croatian emigration, and at the same time focusing attention on one of the most dominant problems of the modern world is the best step in putting the Croatian cultural identity onto the world map. It will be the best testimony that we understand the current world issues and trends. Croatia needs to be recognised as a country that promotes the most important global issues, experiences and viewpoints.

Why migrations?

 

Today, as humanity is confronted with the phenomenon of immigrants, refugees at global scale, for the first time the causes and results of these events are being seriously thought about. This can be seen in the political programmes of affected countries and in the scientific studies of social and cultural issues and events. Recently, many institutes investigating migration have been created by universities. There are also two museums of immigration, several museums of emigration. The first virtual museum on this subject has been created. In the recent decades migrations have become a major focus of interest of international organisations such as UN and UNESCO.

The reasons for establishing the Croatian Immigration museum.

The rich and extensive cultural and artistic inheritance of our emigrants today lays undiscovered, forgotten and unappreciated all over the world. Such wealth deserves the attention, respect and care of those who recognise the spiritual inheritance of their own people. This implies the need for a museum of Croatian Immigration. This museum would not be exclusive only to Croatian emigrants, but it would be a link with other similar establishments around the world. Following the modern principles of such establishments (self-financing) it would cover a whole spectrum of additional content. In its space it would host exhibitions of emigrants from other nationalities, as well as results of cultural co-existence of different social groups (multicultural societies, sub-cultures, marginal ethnic groups, large migrations etc.).

Why should it be located in Rijeka? 

 

The geographical location of Rijeka (inside the Mediterranean basin) guarantees good connections with many European and international destinations. It stands out as the best location for the type of centre described above.

• Such a cultural and scientific institution would re-energise the relatively marginalised Rijeka area by attracting the attention of emigrants, their descendants and friends, as well as many people from other ethnic groups who left their homes.
• Rijeka has recently joined the European programme EUROPAN, which confirms that there is a positive energy in Rijeka, with the aim of opening and maximising the development of the city and the region. The bid to host the Mediterranean Games in Rijeka would benefit from a project such as SIGMa. In the event of a successful bid the museum itself would benefit as well, with the realisation of the project coming at the time of the highest inflow of money into the city.
• Such an architecturally, culturally and spiritually significant centre would attract many new tourists to Rijeka and the region (as in the case of Bilbao, Salamanca and Valencia). Thus, Rijeka would break out of the provincial restraints forced upon it by the current situation.
• Such a project would instigate and encourage a whole host of new businesses, shops and services, which would provide employment to many people.
• With such a project, from an important regional centre Rijeka would become a partner in a wider European and international context. This would improve the balance of cultural centres in Croatia (de-centralisation of cultural centres).
• Such a project would help out to disperse the cultural activities out of the capital of Croatia contributing to create the philosophy of polycentric cultural environment rather than concentrating all the cultural contents in one single point.

Why is the port of Rijeka the best place for the building? 

 

SIGMa should be located in a port because for centuries ports were the major points for going to the world. Ports have their histories and symbolism. A port with SIGMa can add a new functional and aesthetic dimension to the city.

AIMS:

 

With such a project Rijeka would, in the name of itself and in the name of Croatia as a whole, repay the debt to Croatian emigrants, Croatian minorities in foreign countries, and national minorities in Croatia. The project would gather, examine and care for the objects of material and spiritual culture and the art, which our immigrants left to the world. At the same time, this would be one of the best forms of advertising Croatia through the analysis and presentation of the interaction of our immigrants with the people of the countries they emigrated to. It would be a great opportunity for education in the interest of co-existance and to develop understanding towards national minorities in Croatia, and to encourage the return of our immigrants. As one of the countries with the highest rate of emigrations we have the moral right and duty to think about such a project.

SIGMa has to be a cultural centre gdje ce se odvijati tijekom citave godine razlicite kulturne aktivnosti za sve interesne skupine posjetitelja (profesionalci, studenti, turisti, lokalno stanovnistvo, mladi I djeca) vezane uz teme migracija, manjina, multikulture, upoznavanja I istrazivanja razlicitih jezika I obicaja etnickih manjina I u/iseljenika u globalnim razmjerima. Aktivnosti trebaju biti bazirane na edukaciji, na razvijanju istrazivackog duha, na suradnji I timskom radu, na umjetnickim programina inspiriranim temom migracija. Kulturne I zabavne priredbe, izlozbe, koncerti, festivali I druzenja trebaju biti otvoreni vrijednim programima sa svih strana svijeta.

SIGMa mast provide investigation, training and studying projects combining development of academic knowledge and contribution to capacity building at the polici level. SIGMa must provide social capaciti building as well. SIGMa bi trebala usko suradjivati sa riječkim i drugim sveučilištima i obrazovnim i znanstvenim institucijama, kako u Hrvatskoj tako i izvan nje stvaranjem znanstvenog kadra za izučavanje pitanja migracija, multikulturnih zajednica i ostalih fenomena suvremenih društava vezanih uz problematiku izbjeglištva, iseljavanja i dislociranja društvenih grupa i pojedinaca. U tu svrhu trebala bi se pri Rječkom sveučilištu pokrenuti UNESCO katedra, ili samostalno, ili još bolje u suradnji sa jednim od stranih sveučilišta u okviru MOSTA ili UNITWIN programa UNESCO-a.

• From the first day of its existence SIGMa must be a school (a fountain of ideas, meeting point for students, experts and professors, a place for seminars, conferences, thesis presentations) for everyone who stops by. Let us not forget the invaluable wealth of material and spiritual riches created by world immigrants over many centuries. We need to create central databases, genealogical trees, archive studies, and we need to create a strategy for continuous monitoring of the phenomenon of migrations, its causes and effects.
• SIGMa will need a well-organised IT system which will enable it to be connected with other genealogical centres, web portals, archives, museums, institutes and universities all over the world.
• The content of education, research, and presentation, as well as the cultural and art programme and museum exhibitions need to encompass the following in a historical context: immigrants, emigrants, refugees, exiles, ethnic groups, minorities, ghettos and multicultural societies.

SIGMa should mobilise Croatian citizens and immigrants: This project would, without doubt, mobilise Croatian immigrants and their associations throughout the world, especially if each significant association gets adequate space for its own development. This means that SIGMa would be able to count on financial help of these associations, their co-operation in gathering material, their lobbying and PR. At this time of cooler relations between homeland and Diaspora, such a project would significantly contribute towards building of trust. SIGMa should also mobilise Croatian minorities outside Croatia, as well as ethnic minorities within Croatia, Usuls, Sefards and associations of returning immigrants.

SIGMa treba mobilizirati I suradjivati sa svim relevantnim svjetskim sredistima izucavanja migracija I u/iseljenistva, sa muzejima istog tipa kao I sa svjetskim arhivima, bibliotekama I sveucilisnim centrima.

SIGMa needs to re-vitalise the urban region of Rijeka: An institution of this type would re-vitalise the relatively marginalised Rijeka region because it would draw the attention of immigrants, their descendants and foreign friends, as well as many immigrants from other ethnic groups who were leaving their homes. It would also be a very interesting tourist attraction – something that should be seen and experienced. Jedna institucija te vrste oživjela bi relativno marginalizirani prostor Rijeke jer bi na sebe svratila znatnu pozornost iseljenika, njihovih potomaka i prijatelja stranaca u zemljama useljenja kao i onih mnogobrojnih namjernika iz drugih etničkih zajednica koji su napuštali svoja ognjišta, a da i ne govorimo o tome da bi to bila još jedna zanimljiva turistička atrakcija - nešto što treba vidjeti I doživjeti. Organizirane posjete Rijeci I okolnim turistickim I kulturnim sredistima, kulturne I zabavne rute kao nusprodukt aktivnosti SIGMe dodatno bi pobudili gospodasku I sucijalnu zivost citave rijecke regije.

From the start SIGMa should be a tourist attraction: Rijeka is the ideal place for investigation of global migrations! The decision on where to locate this institution in the city should be made by Rijeka. The people of Rijeka know the most about architecture, space, and the rhythm of their city and they are certainly aware that their city needs to welcome the sea, and that the sea must enter the city (as in Lisabon, Barcelona, Sydney). In any case, we assume that the most attractive location will be chosen. The sea must be part of the vision of SIGMa. SIGMa should be resting on water (as for example the Sydney Opera House), it should be anchored in the port like Titanic, washed up on the shore like a shell, built on an artificial island like the Tower of Babel. The building (or buildings) should be an architectural masterpiece. Something that the world will come to see: a first-class tourist attraction, creative composition of the old and the new. The architectural design should be chosen though an international competition.

SPHERES OF INTEREST:

The SIGMa project is based on the openness towards the world. It does not have local character! It is not just one of many museums/research centres, but it a unique and the only place under the sun which from the first day:

• emits its energies and interests towards the whole phenomenon of migrations
• collaborates with the best known experts from the area of research into migrations and other relevant areas
• opens the doors to all experiences of exodus, without regard to race, religious, national or gender differences.

In order for this to be possible, it is important to internationalise (internationaly relevant?) the project from the beginning, and to offer it on the market of international and local institutions whose motto is the care of global valuables cultural and artistic inheritance. If Rijeka sees itself as an example of a city of the 21^st century, and if Croatia wants to participate in destiny of the modern and developed world, Rijeka should immediately start on this project as a project of major national interest, with the full help of government institutions.

Activities:

- museum

- library

- archive, genealogical archive

- multifaceted exhibitions

- conferences, lectures, meetings

- research centre

- IT systems and support

- publishing, awards

- educational courses, scholarships

leisure and entertainment: SIGMa needs to be a centre for entertainment and cultural events (exhibitions, concerts, street theatre, sports, tours), as well as a place where old friends can meet, home for emigrants returning to the country, an attraction for the curious and children. In SIGMa, all world travellers should feel at home.

BUILDING: 

 

The building should satisfy the following requirements:

• SIGMa management
• Permanent exhibition space with “halls of continents” (more or less permanent exhibits). “Halls of continents” would be committed to the collections of material and spiritual objects of Croatian emigrants on different continents.
• Multi-use exhibition space committed to exhibiting the collections of national minorities, other world migrations, multicultural societies, ghettos and other topics relevant to the annual working programme.
• Multi-use hall for various cultural events, meetings, conferences and lectures.
• Lecture theatres
• Library: Within the programme of gathering books, research material, media material on the topic of migration, SIGMa should also have its own magazine (E-magazine and WebPages). The same programme should establish an annual award (for literature and for research).
• Projection theatre with database
• Archive
• Restaurant and café-bar
• Work areas
• Marketing office
• Shop

EMPLOYEES:

Conditions: Because of the multi-faceted character of the institution, the employees of SIGMa should be experts from various fields (less of museum custodians and more of well-educated researchers and cultural workers): museum custodians, cultural events organisers, researchers, librarians, IT personnel, media experts and managers. All employees should be computer trained and should be fluent in two world languages.

FINANCING: Who will finance SIGMa?

• SIGMa should secure financial support from multiple sources at the local, national and international level.
• The city of Rijeka possesses the space to realise the project.
• The Croatian tourist sector should recognise SIGMa as an interesting and promising partner. Symbolic payment contributed by each tourist who came to see this “world wonder” would also be useful.
• Croatian Government should secure financial support for SIGMa from their funds.
• The project should seek help from UNESCO and other relevant international organisations.
• From the very beginning, SIGMa should seek partners and financial support from other countries that include the issue of migration in the cultural programmes.

COLLABORATION:

The project must unite all relevant Croatian cultural and research institutions, all Croatian immigrant associations, important individuals who contributed to the world’s cultural heritage, representatives of minorities, returning immigrants, friendship clubs, and all influential world organisations, individuals and institutions that deal with the same issues. The project must never , in any way, be used for political purposes of political parties or individuals.

How can we implement collaboration between SIGMa and the Croatian institutions that deal with immigration? Institute of Immigration and Nationality, Institute Ivo Pilar, Croatian Archive, National and University Library, museums, emigrant associations, friendship associations, national minority associations in Croatia, associations of Croatian minorities in other countries. Depending on the programmes and aims of each of these organisations, they should be in constant collaboration with SIGMa.

What should be done with local and homeland collections and museums that have collected certain body of material about emigration? In my opinion, local collections, private archives and homeland museums, wherever the conditions allow it and there is an interest, should keep their material about immigration. SIGMa should not consume everything that was spontaneously and with a lot of care created in the field, which belongs to individual or local communities. SIGMa should register and process all of these, support them and with necessary agreements publicly present them. At the same time, in case of donations from private and homeland collections, SIGMa should invest the necessary effort to process them thoroughy and protect them for future generations.

What would the future relationship between SIGMa and the Croatian emigration Association be? It should be emphasised that the museum/research centre in Rijeka would not threaten the existence of the Croatian emigration Association in any way. Each one of these institutions will be developing its own profile and programme. The Croatian emigration Association has never been a museum, nor a centre for research of immigration - it doesn’t need to be. SIGMa will not cover the area of work covered by the Croatian emigration Association. Wherever there is a possibility of overlap, an analytical and constructive approach should be used by both sides to create a program of co-operation and collaboration.

Da li osnovati društvo podupitratelja SIGMe u osnivanju? Trebalo bi osnovati jedan NGO “društva prijatelja I podupiratelja SIGMe” - jedno oficijalno tijelo koje bi bdjelo nad razvojem programa I podupiralo akcije koje će se poduzimati na razini institucija države u smislu ostvarenja I izgradnje projekta. Treba uključiti u akciju društva prijateljstva, kulturna društva manjina, hrvatska iseljenička društva I klubove kao I društva povratnika registrirana u Hrvatskoj. Tu se ne smije zanemariti uloga vaznih nacionalnih institucija (Matica hrvatska, Hrvatska matica iseljenika, Institut za migracije I narodnosti, sveučilišta, Institut Ivo Pilar, HAZU, Hrvatski državni arhiv, Nacionalna I sveučilišna biblioteka, zavičajni muzeji, DHK I niz drugih institucija od fundamentalnog značaja).

SIGMa treba uskoro formirati mrežu suradnika u mnogim središtima migracija u svijetu koji će raditi na prikupljanju građe i tijesno medjusobno surađivati. U njoj će biti mjesta za sve dobrovoljce koji hoće raditi - od strucnjaka madjunarodnog znacaja do kolekcionara, od umjetnika do obicnih gradjana.

The state Croatia should welcome SIGMa from the beginning as an organisation of national interest. With its numerous and diverse activities SIGMa doesn’t undermine the work and the effort of other Croatian institutions, within which there are immigration collections, archives and other material related to immigration. With today’s highly-developed technology of communication and information sharing, virtual exhibitions and transfer of material enable all organisations to protect their own interests and to collaborate with other cultural centres in common efforts. Outside these activities, SIGMa has an undiscovered world of Croatian immigration and its interaction with the host communities, as well as the world of world migrations and problems that the world has encountered for centuries. In this context there is plenty of work for everyone.

FAZE REALIZACIJE PROJEKTA SIGMa:

A/ upoznavanje najšireg kruga potencijalno zainteresiranih sa idejom SIGMe

- prikupljanje mišljenja, prijedloga, kritika

- stvaranje adresara ljudi koji su potencijalni suradnici I podupiratelji

- pokretanje društva prijatelja SIGMe u osnivanju

B/ formiranje dobrovoljnog odbora za rad na virtualnom (web) i fizičkom (Rijeka) muzeju.

C/ izrada virtualnog centra (MHD - muzeja hrvatske dijaspore) uz pomoć pojedinaca dobrovoljaca sa drugih svjetskih destinacija koji već rade na prikupljanju genealoških I drugih podataka o našoj dijaspori. Pojedinci misle da bi virtualni muzej iseljeništva trebao proizaći kao posljedica muzeja in situ. Virtualni muzej I SIGMa ni na koji način se ne isključuju, niti je nužno da slijed stvaranja jednoga prethodi drugom. Dapače, posve je svejedno koji će se ostvariti prvi. I jedan I drugi projekt trebaju biti živi organizam koji će se neprestano napajati novim sadržajima te se nadopunjavati.

D/ kontaktiranje Vladinih institucija, Hrvatskog sabora, iseljeničkih udruga i organizacija radi predočavanja prijedloga i stvaranja jednog zajedničkog tijela za izradu elaborata projekta muzeja I studiju o financiranju muzeja.

E/ natječaj za arhitektonski projekt SIGMe jer virtualna stvarnost u ovom slučaju MORA biti pretočena u fizički objekt (naravno da nije neophodno da to bude Rijeka, ali razloge za moj prijedlog već sam gore obrazložila).

SIGMa ne ce biti samo spomenik hrvatskom iseljeniku Ili svjetskim lutalicama gonjenim zudnjom za avanturom I srecom, vec zivi svjedok povijesnog putovanja covjecanstva u potrazi za boljitkom I za vlastitim korijenima. Bude li to postogla, SIGMa ce dohvatiti svoj puni smisao. 

Tuga Tarle Madrid, 13. Siječnja, 2003.

Savjetnica za kulturu hrvatskog veleposlanstva u Madridu