CubaPLUS Magazine

Cuban museums, which during these days of social isolation present their treasures in a virtual way, are now also engaged in various jobs to resume their rich work of cultural promotion when the pandemic passes.

This May 18 is celebrated as International Day of these institutions, under the motto "Museums for equality, diversity and inclusion", although the usual actions of the day take place today on digital sites and social networks.

The island's museums, which are many, are not open to the public but work is being done in the care of collections and the preservation of buildings, as well as in documents and inventory systems, research and curatorial projects, according to the president of the National Council of Cultural Heritage (CNPC), Sonia Pérez Mojena.

The museums have not been allowed to die or feel isolated, the specialist commented to Cuban television, and recalled the various online initiatives developed through the different websites of the provincial and national museum institutions.

In this sense, he mentioned the contests, challenges and other actions with which the institutions have remained active in cyberspace, taking into account that "the fundamental pieces of museums are enjoyed today at our homes in benefit of its people".

The museums, he pointed out, are preparing for the reopening when the time is right, with a protocol that must reach everyone with the measures to open up and be a safe place where people can arrive and be in contact with the community and also with schools.

This International Day was established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), in order to sensitize the public about the usefulness of these centers as relevant means for learning, enriching and exchanging cultures, understanding history, expanding cooperation and peace between peoples.

The opening of the first institution of this type in Cuba dates back to February 12, 1899 in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, today the Emilio Bacardí Provincial Museum, with valuable samples of pre-Columbian culture, national art, and Cuban history.