by Marie Kauna – EMTV Online, Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea’s National Museum and Arts Gallery is one of the important organisations that provide a safer place to store and save the country’s diverse historical and cultural inheritance.
Built in 1975, the museum was opened for operations in 1977 two years after the country’s independence.
Its responsibilities range from five different divisions and they are oral history, anthropology, archaeology, natural history and conservation.
Since its establishment, the organisation has played vital roles in save keeping and promoting the country’s diverse historical and cultural inheritances and today, still continues this service.
In its thirty nine years of operations, one of the struggles the organisations encounters apart from other operational challenges has been funding assistance.
During the launching of the ‘Friends of the Museum’ initiative, Director of the Museum, Dr Andrew Moutu said funding is a challenge that has limited the organisation from fully utilizing its operational capacity in some of its important areas.
As a result, some of the proposed development initiatives have not been implemented, carried out or even expanded. These includes promotional and awareness activities, additional storerooms, galleries and office space for the staff.
Now to support the organisation’s operation in promoting, expanding and improving in some of its operational areas, the museum adopted the new initiative ‘Friends of the Museum’. The initiative was officially launched on Thursday 21st at the National Museum art and Gallery by Mrs Lynda Babao O’Neill.
The launching was witnessed by staff, families and friends of the museum, the Trustees and Management of the National Museum and Art Gallery and the interim members of the Council of the Friends of the Museum.
Mrs Babao O’Neill who is the interim Patron of the initiative at the launching said that through this initiative, the community and friend’s participation and engagement will help support the organisation to work effectively.
