Friday, June 16, 2006

The Brac Museum recently celebrated the annual International Museum Day, which presented a wonderful opportunity to promote the heritage and traditions of this Island that was not fully explored.

The Family Fun Day for this occasion, though meticulously organized, included few attractions with real historical significance.

Various VIPs talked about the artifacts in the museum and their importance to our heritage, though outside the museum, there was little history on display other than the costume parade and the Kitchen Band.

People were invited to view the relics inside the Brac Museum, but a museum is much more than a bunch of artifacts. Children, the custodians of our future, often find it hard to relate to these alone.

At living museums in other parts of the world, there are plays, live performers re-enacting events, interactive displays, and videos - all of it aimed at bringing history alive.

The museum was set up in its current format during Quincentennial year, when, under the guidance of talented employees of the National Museum in Grand Cayman, the interior underwent a major face-lift.

In that year, the '32 Storm exhibit was set up, Christopher Columbus's discovery was celebrated, and every student on the Island paid a visit to the museum.

The Museum's 20th anniversary and Heritage Day that year were wonderful events, celebrating everything from catboats to handicrafts, from toys to old-time dancing.

In order to build on this, more innovative thought needs to go into the Brac Museum's displays and promotion to truly bring home to residents and tourists, the relevance to our lives today of the Island's rich cultural heritage.

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