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By preserving ocean memory and highlighting the knowledge of coastal communities, museums play a crucial role in shaping an inclusive, sustainable, and people-centred blue economy for the 21st century
A sustainable blue economy must place the welfare of coastal communities at its heart. Engaging and empowering coastal citizens at every step of the development process is fundamental for both political sustainability and economic resilience. However, building this future requires us to look to the past. The history of maritime exchange, between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, between coastal villages and global centres of power, reminds us that the seas have always been spaces of connection, negotiation, and shared survival.
Archaeological discoveries bear testimony to this long maritime history. In 1938, during excavations at Pompeii, a statuette was unearthed that many believed to be a reproduction of Lakshmi, while others identified it as a Yakshi. Archaeologists agree that it is an Indian artefact from the 1st century AD. A year earlier, at Arikamedu in Tamil Nadu, nearly 400 Roman amphorae were discovered. These containers, used to transport wine, oil, and garum, had travelled across the Mediterranean and through the Indian Ocean. They were not meant for local Indian consumption, but for resident Greek and Roman merchants seeking to preserve their tastes and traditions far from home.
The history of maritime exchange, between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, between coastal villages and global centres of power, reminds us that the seas have always been spaces of connection, negotiation, and shared survival.
Such discoveries tell us that maritime history is best understood as a “horizontal” history. Ports, harbours, fishing communities, and shipyards were not isolated entities; they were nodes in a vast web of exchange. Mariners, merchants, and artisans carried not only goods but also techniques, technologies, and cultural practices across seas. They created communities where diversity of language, faith, and custom coexisted and adapted. This history, stretching back millennia, holds powerful lessons for the present.
Today, as we work towards a sustainable blue economy, we must draw from these legacies of coexistence and exchange. Community-led initiatives are already showing the way. From coral restoration projects led by fisher cooperatives to traditional fisheries management practices that protect spawning grounds, coastal communities are demonstrating how local knowledge can underpin biodiversity conservation. In the Persian Gulf, shipyards still build wooden dhows, often by Indian craftsmen who carry forward techniques passed down generations. These practices are more than heritage: they are adaptive, living solutions for a changing world.
Maritime museums also have an essential role to play. Historically, many naval museums have focused narrowly on fleets, battles, and conquests. Yet, the new generation of maritime museums seeks to tell a different story: one centred on people, trade, migration, and cultural memory. These institutions democratise access to knowledge, safeguard intangible heritage, and foster respect for diversity. They also engage with urgent contemporary issues: climate change, overfishing, microplastics, and sea-level rise. By making these challenges tangible and relatable, museums can inspire communities to act as stewards of the sea.
In the Persian Gulf, shipyards still build wooden dhows, often by Indian craftsmen who carry forward techniques passed down generations.
This vision aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Museums contribute to fighting poverty (Goal 1) by safeguarding cultural diversity and ensuring accessibility. They strengthen education (Goal 4) by promoting lifelong learning and respect for differences. They reduce inequalities (Goal 10) by creating shared platforms across countries and cultures. They anchor communities (Goal 11), making cities more inclusive and resilient. Above all, maritime museums carry a unique responsibility for Goal 14: Life Below Water. They are custodians of ocean literacy, tasked with educating citizens about the health of our seas and the dangers of climate change, overfishing, and pollution.
This people-centred and heritage-driven approach is equally critical for policy. A blue economy that is extractive, exclusionary, or top-down will falter. But a blue economy that invests in local leadership, empowers coastal communities, and connects them across regions can become both resilient and transformative. Partnerships, whether among coastal villages, between regions of the Global South, or through networks of maritime museums, can foster solidarity and exchange. They can turn heritage into a living resource for sustainable futures.
Maritime history is not only about power and conflict, but also about coexistence, innovation, and shared resilience.
Maritime museums, with their ability to preserve memory and shape narratives, have a vital role in this conversation. They remind us that maritime history is not only about power and conflict, but also about coexistence, innovation, and shared resilience.
The future of the blue economy depends on reconnecting with this longer, deeper story of the seas. By valuing local knowledge, investing in communities, and building global partnerships, we can shape a maritime future that is inclusive, sustainable, and just. Maritime heritage, in this vision, is not a relic of the past; it is a compass for the future.
Pierangelo Campodonico is the Director of the National Museum of Italian Emigration.
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Pierangelo Campodonico, born in 1958, became director of the Naval Museum of Genoa in 1988. In 1998, he was appointed director of the Galata Museo ...
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