THE Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) will roll out their brand new “mobile exhibit” at their official launch set for Friday, June 29, at Sovereign Centre in Liguanea, St Andrew.

The mobile exhibit, made possible through a cultural grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), features kiosks, 55- inch monitors, panel boards, and a brand new IOJ-branded mobile bus.

According to the IOJ, the aim of the mobile exhibit is to promote Jamaica’s culture and heritage and highlight the activities of the institute.

“The exhibit undoubtedly modernises the offerings of the IOJ’s outreach committee, making it possible for the organisation to reach more diverse and remote audiences, engaging them in educational activities. Persons who interact or visit the mobile exhibit will gain valuable information presented on the panel boards and on the kiosks, while testing how much they have learnt through an interactive digital quiz,“ a release from the institute said.

The first exhibit features information on Jamaica’s natural disasters/hazards, which are similar to those that Japan experiences due to the similarities in climates. The presentation highlights some of Jamaica’s experiences with weather systems such as hurricanes and earthquakes. This specific presentation highlights the changes and additions to Jamaica’s heritage in the aftermath of disasters.

IOJ Outreach Committee member and educational officer at National Museum, Jamaica, Stephanie Rose said that, “When natural hazards become disasters they not only impact the natural and built heritage of a nation, but also the creation of history and heritage in some quarters”.

JICA has partnered with the IOJ and the Ministry of Culture to bring light to Jamaica’s rich culture and heritage. In addition to the mobile exhibit, JICA has been working with both entities to retrofit spaces within the IOJ with state-of-the-art equipment, for example, equipment that went into the highly anticipated diorama exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Jamaica and the state-of-the-art recording studio, along with the computers for the Junior Centre’s lab.