Photo
Gallery Exhibition Inaugurated at National Museum

Muscat,
22 Oct (ONA) — The National Museum inaugurated today an exhibition titled “Reflections
from the Not So Distant Past in Oman” by photographer Professor Eugene Harper
Johnson, Director of the Unspoken Dialogue Organization.

The
opening took place under the patronage of Sayyid Saud Hilal Al Busaidi,
Governor of Muscat, and was attended by a number of distinguished guests,
officials, and those interested in cultural and artistic affairs.

This
exhibition serves as a visual and human documentation of Omani life before
1970, captured through the lens of Professor Johnson, who succeeded in portraying
the essence of an era characterized by simplicity, patience, and wisdom.

The
photographs on display reveal the faces of men and women from various regions
of the Sultanate of Oman—faces that tell stories of perseverance and dignity
that accompanied the formation of the Omani spirit in the period preceding the
Blessed Renaissance.

During
his speech at the opening ceremony, Professor Eugene Harper Johnson highlighted
that the exhibition was born from a desire to preserve the voices and memories
of Oman’s elders—those who lived through the nation’s formative years before
its modern renaissance began in 1970. He emphasized that portraits alone were
not enough; without stories, the essence of people’s lives would remain silent.
By pairing each image with an oral historical account, the exhibition seeks to
honor not just what people looked like, but what they lived through.

On
her turn, Mirasol Delphin Johnson, Deputy Director of the Unspoken Dialogue
Organization, also delivered a speech in which she expressed deep pride and
emotion as both a collaborator and witness to the twelve-year journey behind
the exhibition.

—
Ends/AH