To mark the International Museum Day 2022, two main activities were held in Port Louis, yesterday, namely the inauguration of a stamps exhibition at the Natural History Museum, and the launching of a brochure and an exhibition on the heroic, mythical and historical figure of Ratsitatanina at the Intercontinental Slavery Museum (ISM). The Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, was present at both events.
The International council of museums has organised, since 1977, the International Museum Day, on or around 18 May, to enable the museum community to showcase their role and functions in society as "means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples".
Stamps Exhibition at the Natural History Museum
In that context, the Mauritius Museums Council, under the aegis of the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, and in collaboration with the Mauritius Post Ltd and the Dodo Philatelic Society, organised an exhibition on the Stamps of Mauritius. The exhibition showcases various First Day Cover as well as stamps collection spanning various decades and encompassing different themes such as fauna and flora of Mauritius, history of Mauritius, local and international key figures, among others.
In his address for the occasion, Minister Teeluck stressed the importance of marking the International Museum Day, following the COVID-19 pandemic which had badly affected the cultural, heritage and creative sectors, and closed museums for months. "It is a time to celebrate as activities resume, but it is also a time of reflection on the way to transform the museum experience," he stated.
According to the Minister, a new vision of the museum was required. He explained that there was an urgency to work towards the renewal and rethinking of the conventional set-up of museums through a concerted approach, and by adopting virtual reality. He cited the examples of the Dodo augmented reality experience, proposed last year, and the mobile application from the National Heritage Fund which provided virtual tours of various heritage sites in Mauritius.
Commemoration of the mythical and historical figure of Ratsitatanina
Afterwards, the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, proceeded with the launching of a brochure and an exhibition on the heroic, mythical and historical figure of Ratsitatanina at the Intercontinental Slavery Museum.
In his speech, the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage highlighted that from a national project, which kicked off in October 2020, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum had reached a global scale with the intake of international experts. He mentioned the team from France currently in Mauritius to work on phase 2 of the project.
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The Minister underscored also the necessity to research history and recount it, based on facts. He was adamant that the population should learn about the history of the country and commended the personnel of the Intercontinental Slavery Museum for their contribution to this endeavour. Mr Teeluck added that the next milestone for the Museum would be the celebration of its two years of existence in October 2022, and that the project would be brought to fruition by 2024.
It is recalled that Ratsitatanina was a Malagasy Army General, exiled to Mauritius for political reasons by King Radama I of Madagascar. He arrived in Port Louis in January 1822 and was confined to a private room under relaxed surveillance from where he escaped after six weeks. He was captured in February 1822 and was beheaded on 15 April 1822 upon accusation of inciting a slave revolt.
