The royal collections of Madagascar are back in the spotlight, thanks to a preventive conservation project financed by the Government of Japan. Eighty percent of Madagascar’s royal palace collections were destroyed by a devastating fire at the Rova of Antananarivo museum complex in 1995.
Now, UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture, the Promotion of Handicrafts and Safeguarding of Heritage in Madagascar are partnering with ICCROM and the International Council of Museums (ICOM-Madagascar) to strengthen the preventive conservation of the royal collections stored in the Prime Minister’s Palace Museum (Palais d’Andafiavaratra) as well as collections from ten other museums in Madagascar. The project is being generously funded by the Government of Japan.
The project will also develop various exhibitions promoting the royal collections from the Queen’s Palace Museum complex (Palais de Manjakamiadana), including a children’s exhibition, a permanent exhibition and an exhibition to be displayed at the international airport, allowing locals and tourists alike to discover or rediscover one of Madgascar’s national treasures.
Gael de Guichen, an ICCROM expert, undertook a preparatory mission for the project from 12 to 16 March 2018, in order to work with national experts from ICOM-Madagascar on the planning and activities necessary to ensure the preventive conservation and public enjoyment of the museums’ collections, using the methodology for museum storage reorganization known as “RE-ORG”.
A two-week training course benefitting 26 museum professionals from ICOM-Madagascar is planned to take place at the Andafiavaratra Palace, 1 – 15 November 2018.