In a historic site such as Freedom Park, a museum can be very important. “We needed to document what was here, before we made it beautiful,” says Aluko-Kpotie. “It is essential that we put something aside for posterity, oth- erwise, in a few years’ time, people would not know what this place was or remember that people were once incarcerated here.” Of all the artifacts in the museum, the one that many visitors find most gripping is a huge padlocked chain with a metallic ball attached, which was used to hold down prisoners. “The museum is a work in progress, as
LEST WE FORGET
beautiful space and are taking management of the project one step at a time. Recruiting the right staff, who will be able to take the park through to the next millennium is what we trying to achieve at this point.”
Keeping watch Gaining entrance to Freedom Park doesn’t always require payment, as in the daytime, during working hours, anyone can walk in free of charge. However, in the evenings and on Sundays, when the park tends to be very pop- ular, a small payment is required. “As a crowd control measure, we have a small entry free,” explains Aluko-Kpotie. She adds that many of those living in the neighborhood actually consider Freedom Park
to be their own. At one point it was thought they might have problems with ‘area boys,’ but it has not been an insurmountable challenge. “We are policing appropriately,” says Aluko- Kpotie. Visitors can be confident of their safety, even if they can’t see our security personnel. “This is because at Freedom Park, we know that policing, at its best, is invisible and not obtrusive,” she adds. The ‘invisible’ security measures include CCTV cameras in strategic areas of the park. The park’s management is serious about
making the park known the world over and recently put together a marketing team to achieve this. In the coming year, Freedom Park hopes to be as iconic, in stature and popular- ity, as the National Arts Theatre.
bringing together the artifacts required to set up a world-class museum takes time,” says Aluko-Kpotie. She adds that some artifacts were taken away by the British, and the muse- um is in the process of getting them back. When it was under construction, one of Aluko- Kpotie’s duties was to identify what the British had taken and what the museum might try to reclaim. The search took her to the British Museum and the British National Archive, where artifacts are being kept in good condi- tion for the museum. “Rather than demanding reparation, which could tie us down for years at the Hague, the museum will ask to loan the works, which is good practice for museums,” explains Aluko-Kpotie.
Freedom House Old Prison Ground, Old Broad Street, Lagos Island
www.freedomparklagos.com
Lagos Island Map - Page 38 Grid Reference: E3
WWW.ISLANDEXPLORERNG.COM
| JANUARY - MARCH 2012 | ISLAND EXPLORER |
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