The 18th of May 2017 was designated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) as International Museum Day, a day set aside for  museums and cultural institutions to highlight and reflect on their impact in the society.

The theme for this year’s celebrations was Museums and contested history: Saying the unspeakable in museums. According to ICOM, the intent is to encourage museums to play an active role in peacefully addressing traumatic histories globally.

As part of the activities marking this day, OOPL joined the global community of museums and cultural institutions by organising a one-day symposium and exhibition on The Nigerian Civil War: Looking Backwards, Looking Forward.The event included a special exhibition of archives and artefacts from the civil war and participants from primary, secondary and tertiary education.