The rector of the UNED, Rodrigo Arias Camacho, shows the logo and QRL code of the first Digital Open Historical Museum of Costa Rica (MHADI) that will be installed in the parks of all the country’s cantons and in public and private institutions with the aim, that, using the cell phone, anyone can watch videos, 3D images, stories of their towns or have fun with a game of historical trivia; among other activities.
More than 100 relevant facts in the history of Costa Rica, illustrated with 3D images, photographs, videos and educational trivia, among other elements, are part of the first Open Digital Historical Museum (MHADI), a project of the State University at Distance (UNED), which was presented in the act of commemoration of the 200 years of the signing of the Act of Independence in Cartago. To access the virtual museum, search, starting today, the QRL codes found in various areas of the country, scan and start living the MHADI experience.
At present, these codes are located in 51 municipalities of Costa Rica, in the Metropolitan Park of La Sabana, in the parks of all the provincial capitals, in the 37 UNED headquarters located in all regions of the national territory, and in other government buildings; as it has the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ) and the Ministry of Public Education (MEP).
The activity was attended by Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Claudia Dobles Camargo, First Lady of the Republic, Silvia Hernández Sánchez, President of the Legislative Assembly, Mario Redondo Poveda, Mayor of Cartago, Yamileth Araya Rivera, wife the mayor and Marco Arias Samudio, president of the Municipal Council, among other special guests and the community in general, who approached the Plaza Mayor of Cartago, to witness the commemoration ceremony.
It should be noted that the products are freely accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Among them, we can mention the more than 100 microprograms in various formats, for television, radio and social networks.
An unrepeatable historical event
“We are faced with an unrepeatable historical event, Costa Rica’s 200 years of independent life. And the UNED has wanted to democratize this experience so that no one is left behind. That is why it has made an extraordinary effort to launch the first Open Digital Historical Museum (MHADI) in the country, which makes history available to present and future generations of our country. We know how the project started, but we cannot even imagine its true scope. Little by little, the towns will have a place where they can find photographs, videos, 3D elements, audios, drawings.
Without a doubt, all this is a useful educational, cultural and artistic material that will strengthen the social and cultural development of the country; even commercial, since tourists will be able to live these immersive experiences in any part of Costa Rica and we know the value that these types of experiences have for them ”, commented Rodrigo Arias Camacho, rector of the UNED, at the time of delivering the materials to the authorities of the government and the Costa Rican society.
For his part, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica, highlighted the contribution that UNED makes in education, innovation and technology, and indicated that the materials delivered to Costa Ricans are of great value for all generations in the country. “I want to congratulate the UNED, which today has shown us its products. Looking at this book, the first thing that comes to mind is the educational power it has, even to read it to your own son and review those historical moments, “said the president.
How does MHADI work?
People must locate the stickers with the UNED logo, the image of the sloth and a QRL, which are already in parks and institutions. To do this, you must use your cell phone or a smart mobile device with an internet connection and by opening the camera or an application you can live five different types of experiences: see, discover, live, play and explore.
The user will be able to find 3D elements, share their space, appreciate their different sides and shapes and even take photos. Or, you can measure your abilities in a digital trivia and learn by having fun, earning medals of national symbols, until completing them
At the “expert” level, you will be able to reach the three national heroes or three outstanding women of the Patria history. You can also find a historical event in a micro-video, which will give you the opportunity to live the story through trivia and various drawings. Everything will be hosted on the site mhadi.uned.ac.cr
For Lucía Arce Ovares, one of the authors of the book, An encounter with history. The Bicentennial Route (1821-2021), “we historians are living at a breaking point, we are leaving the traditional ways of transmitting knowledge, capitalizing on the use of technology, with a more lively history, through more democratic ways of reaching everything public in the national territory”.
Arce Ovares added that together with the director and creator of the project, the renowned journalist Allan Trigueros Vega, after having the contents of the book, more people joined, thus forming a great co-creator team, in which the Chair stands out. of History of the UNED, the OMiPYME + Observatory, in charge of Lizette Brenes Bonilla and several collaborators of the UNED.
“The ideal is to achieve a renewed, strengthened and shared identity by the different generations that make up the Costa Rican society of the Bicentennial. To make it easier for people from different territories, ages and origins to discover and live history, making the most of available technologies, adding their contents to make the museum a living and constantly growing element ”, expressed Lizette Brenes Bonilla, co-creator of MHADI.
It should be noted that, at the close of the act of commemoration of the 200 years of the signing of the Act of Independence in Cartago, the monument ‘Costa Rica Victorious’ was unveiled, created by the Costa Rican artist, Ángel Lara Vargas, who worked on it during the last seven months. The entity that financed the monument was the Mutual Carthage of Savings and Loans (MUCAP).
