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Promoting cultural heritage in Cameroon
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Expertise France began working with the National Museum of Cameroon in 2018 when Cameroon's Ministry of Arts and Culture (MINAC) decided to develop the museum to enhance the country's cultural diversity in order to make it a reference centre for museums throughout West Africa.
This project, financed by AFD, aims to support the modernisation of the Yaoundé National Museum to meet international standards in terms of governance, conservation of works and cultural programming.
Hugues Heumen Tchana, Director of the National Museum of Yaoundé, talks about the implementation of the project and its impact.
When did you become interested in culture, archaeology, and museology?
I first studied law and history, then I got a master’s at the Université Senghor in Alexandria [Egypt] and that’s where it all began, with a degree in Cultural Heritage, Development and Management. I completed internships in various museums in different countries and then returned to Cameroon and got a doctorate in museology.
How did the cooperation between the museum and Expertise France go—what were some of the challenges and how were they overcome?
When I arrived as director in 2020 the project with Expertise France had already started. There were provisions for a lot of technical assistance, but the concept troubled me—we didn’t need that so much as concrete goals with training and equipment. They were open to that, and the budget was reallocated which made all the difference. Initially there were hardly any Cameroonians involved so we increased local expertise. A full-time position with a Cameroonian was created, and with someone on the ground that meant that things moved forward more quickly. The training for scenography went very well, for example, with Cameroonian and French instructors working together.
Can you describe the tangible impact that the project made?
The museum reserve was redesigned and equipped. There were exhibition spaces that were redesigned. Expertise France helped with training in scenography for a temporary exhibition in collaboration with the musée d’Angoulême.
What would be important to you in the future for the museum?
I would like to see concrete projects being realised, such as training in restoration, improvement of the National Museum’s reception hall, renovation of the photo archives exhibition rooms, and completion of the modernisation of the reserves.
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