24 December 2008
Tunis — If for some of us museums are places where "the present is burdened too much with the past" to quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne, for the majority they are places of inspiration and culture.
This is certainly the case for Tunisian museums which are treasure troves of some 3000 years of culture and history. In a bid to better showcase Tunisia's archaeological and artistic treasures, the World Bank at the behest of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Preservation, has launched an international competition for the upgrading, restoration and maintenance of 4 main Tunisian heritage museums.
Won by French award- winning architect Christian Leconte and his wife Genevieve Noirot, the project will span a few years and will give a much needed facelift to the Bardo museum, the Djerba traditional museum of arts in Houmt Essouk, Kairouan's interpretation centre, and Sousse's museum. The project involves restoration and maintenance work as well as the setting up of adapted lighting, designed to put into relief some of the country's artistic masterpieces. Museum staging, in which Leconte has acquired a great experience both in France and throughout the world, is also part of the project.
The project is spearheaded by a newly created management and promotion of heritage Unit, at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Preservation, led by an engineer, Mr Taoufik Ben Hadid.
Speaking of his latest work in Djerba, Christian Leconte said that similarly to his notorious predecessor Le Corbusier, he was "spellbound "by the island's heritage.
He also expressed his awe for the Bardo's museum's mosaics of which "Tunisians are justifiably proud". (photo of Ulysses and his sailors mosaic at the Bardo museum).
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Tunisia Online. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
