At National Museum Scientific & Cultural Council: Stakeholders deliberate on roadmap to increase visibility, standard.

The council is working in partnership with Expertise France on a project dubbed: “Scientific and Cultural Policy”. 

The project, officials said, is to meet the needs of the public and the Museum as the pride of Cameroon’s cultural diversity to raise it to the rank of international museographic standards. The committee validated the scientific and cultural project of the National Museum.

The Inspector General of the Ministry of Arts and Culture, Ngeh Rekie Nfunfu Mbeume, who is President of the Council, said government is committed to promoting culture.

The Director of the National Museum and Vice President of the Scientific and Cultural Council, Heumen Hugues, said the project had the public at heart. 

“What is the real public policy that must be put in place?,” he questioned, before stating that: “We can never say it enough, we do not often think of the pleasure we have in receiving the public at the National Museum, but we also think of the pleasure when the visitor comes”.

The National Museum, he said, must be a place where Cameroonians can talk to each other, understand and love each other. 

Talking about the missions of the project, the Vice President explained that there was an animation department which had as aim to develop a lot of activities through the project more than the previous years.

Hugues said, with regards to research “we are looking at how to multiply partnerships in universities and research laboratories and also develop prominent research so that the National Museum becomes a research laboratory”.

According to Deputy Director of the National Museum, Etta Ojang Ivan, “the project is very vital because it is the blueprint and roadmap of the National Museum. So this project is going to define all the strategies that the Museum can put in place in order to increase the visits, in order to attract more people to the National Museum”.

Director of National Museum and Vice President of the Council, Heumen Hugues addressing the press

Ojong said they are working to boost public interest in the National Museum, “because the essence is not just having people coming but it is the satisfaction that the public has at the end of their visit”.

He noted that the emphasis of the project is on research and the consolidation of National Unity. The roadmap will shape the functioning of the institution for the next five to 10 years. 

The Coordinator of the project from Expertise France, Landry Doko, noted that their institution is a privileged partner of the Ministry of Arts and Culture in executing the project.

“We would like to be able to provide a standard document which could allow the National Museum to be able to follow its implementation,” Doko assured, adding that: “This is based on the figures that were made by the invited and permanent members”.

A permanent member of the Council, Prof Abouna Paul, applauded the initiative but highlighted that there is need to correct past mistakes to ensure the total success of the project with a refurbished National Museum.