Madagascar National Museums share experience re-organizing their reserves in ICCROM Re-Org webinar

As part of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) Lecture Series, a webinar on “Re-Org in Action” took place on 28 January 2021. Ms. Marie-Hortense Razafindramaboa from the International Council of Museums National Committee in Madagascar (ICOM-Madagasikara) presented the outcomes of the UNESCO project “Preventive conservation and enhancement of the collections of the Manjakamiadana Palace at the Palace of Andafiavaratra,” which was carried out in 2019 in collaboration with ICCROM, ICOM-Madagasikara and the Ministry of Communication and Culture of Madagascar with generous funding from the Government of Japan.

The webinar featured an introduction to the Re-Org methodology and success stories around the world by Mr. Gael de Guichen, who guided the development of the Re-Org Programme for ICCROM and UNESCO in 2011 to help museums improve the management of their collections in reserve and their use while respecting traditional know-how, local knowledge and cultural diversity. Case studies of Re-Org projects from Portugal, Belgium, Canada were also featured.

“We reorganized over 700 objects in our storage areas and as part of the Re-Org project,” said Ms. Marie-Hortense Razafindramboa from ICOM Madagascar. “I hope my testimony will inspire other museums to use the Re-Org methodology to ensure the preventive conservation of their museum collections,” she added.

The webinar, which was led in French, is available online: RE-ORG: ça bouge dans les réserves ! – YouTube.

UNESCO and ICCROM have developed a project proposal entitled Re-Org|Africa to raise capacities for preventive conservation of museum collections in storage in the Africa region.

For more information on UNESCO’s Museum Programme, see: https://en.unesco.org/themes/museums