Msheireb Museums are awarded the “Best Practices” Award by CECA

Doha, Qatar 15 May 2018: Msheireb Museums (MM), the new cultural destination at Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD), celebrated International Museums Day 2018 under the theme ‘Hyperconnected Museums: New Approaches, New Publics’ that has been chosen by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and International Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA).

The celebrations took place at Bin Jelmood House located at MDD’s Heritage Quarter, in the presence of Mr. Hafiz Ali, Msheireb Museums Director, CECA President Milene Chiovatto, and representatives of cultural and educational institutions in Qatar. Activities during the festivities included a welcoming speech by Msheireb Museums, and presentations by CECA and UCL-Q representatives, the first Msheireb Museums Friends programme graduation and a panel discussion, followed by a special dinner.

The theme of the International Museum Day 2018 was chosen to explore today’s trend of a hyperconnected world. Hyperconnectivity is a term invented in 2001 to design the multiple means of communication between organisations and individuals, such as face-to-face contact, email, instant messaging, telephone or the Internet. This global network of connections becomes each day more complex, diverse and integrated.

Commenting on International Museums Day, Mr. Hafiz Ali, Director of Msheireb Museums, said: “It is a great pleasure to celebrate International Museums Day here at Msheireb Museums, a tradition we have followed in recent years. Marking this important date reiterates our commitment to supporting artistic development in Qatar, and reflects our passion to positively contribute to the flourishing global cultural scene.”

In his welcoming speech, he announced that Msheireb Museums was one of five entities to get the “Best Practices Award” by International Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA), accoupling the museums role in promoting educational initiatves and cultural events.

Milene Chiovatto, President of CECA conducted a presentation with the results of a two-day workshop for students, academics, and cultural leaders to commemorate this global event. During the interactive two-day workshop, participants had the chance to explore the possibility of seeing the transformation of ideas, and to go from a theoretical aspect to the practice through showing examples from around the world.

A panel discussion took place enabling participants to discuss ways in which museums and educational institutions can work together to support their curriculum and bridge the gap presented by language and culture.

The event also witnessed the graduation of Msheireb Museums Friends programme. Last year, Msheireb Museums Friends programme was launched aiming to create cultural ambassadors by training teachers and leaders from a wide range of educational, youth associations along with students, by developing leadership skills and to help highlight the historic cultural houses.

Mr. Hafiz Ali continued: “We are pleased to celebrate the Msheireb Museums Friends graduation, our programme that is designed to challenge the conventional approach to cultural education and enables us to create a knowledge ecosystem that delivers cultural, societal and educational wealth.”

In line with its mandate, Msheireb Museums has built strong connections and collaborations with academic institutions, including universities, colleges, research programmes and exhibitions to engage with the museums offering and content. In addition, visitors of the museums have access to the library’s valuable digital resources of Qatar National Library. To promote tourism to Qatar, Msheireb Museums also collaborated with Qatar Tourism Authority to provide tour guides with best practices and training to share with international visitors.

Msheireb Museums are a significant milestone for Msheireb Properties in realising the vision of Msheireb Downtown Doha, Qatar’s first sustainable and smart city regeneration project. The museums celebrate the history of four historic heritage houses in the heart of Qatar’s old town. Located within the oldest part of the capital, they form an important part of Qatar’s national history. These reconstructed buildings and gallery spaces allow the community to engage in the significant aspects of Qatar’s past and memories of life before the country’s rapid economic development.

International Museums Day has been acknowledged on May 18 since 1977, with more than 36,000 museums participating in 2017 across 147 countries. The objective of International Museums Day is to raise awareness that museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace.

For more information, you may contact:

Ahmad Rabah, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller

E: Ahmad.rabah@bm.com; T: +97474785678