Culture Ministry looking at audio, video archiving 
– Minister Anthony
THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has had a very successful 2011, with regards to the infrastructural expansion of the various museums and interventions in the areas of educational programmes and activities conducted at those institutions.
This is according to Minister with the portfolio, Dr. Frank Anthony, during an interview in his Main Street, Georgetown office, last week Friday.
He said the achievements were made possible not only by the ministry and citizens but with the support of several international partnerships.
Speaking about some of the new developments, Anthony mentioned the construction of a new structure in the same compound of the National Archives, on Homestretch Avenue, also in Georgetown.
“We added a new building to what was there already; the new building is for the storage of old documents; we fumigate them there and then take them over to the archives,” he explained.
Anthony said the institutions he referred to conduct several educational programmes with the aim of, among other goals, making the younger generation more aware of their history.
He noted that the Archives is known as a place that attracts many persons, both citizens and non-citizens and holds a few of the historic things that are recognised worldwide.
“We have a unique archival hosting in Guyana and we are listed under the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organisation’s memory of world listings for two things, the indentured labourers collection and the Dutch collection,” the minister stated.
He said those collections are valuable not only to Guyana but the entire world and have given this country the opportunity to make strategic advances in this regard.

CHALLENGES 

Anthony pointed out that, even while there have been challenges, every effort will be made to ensure that the training programmes are carried out effectively.
“We have been continuous with our training programmes and we will be looking at video and audio archiving,” he disclosed.
The ministry would be looking, more dedicatedly, at doing those things and will be collaborating with places that have such networks to archive, like the National Communications Network (NCN).
Additionally, he said that works have been done to rehabilitate some parts of the National Museum.
“We have done extensive repairs to the roof and we now have additional space and there are now two new halls, one dealing with maps and pre-historic animals and the other will be used for the hosting of exhibitions,” the minister disclosed.
He said, only recently, one of the foreign embassies hosted an exhibition in the new hall at the Museum.
“The Museum has also become a very dynamic place of learning. Under the school learning programme, we now give schools the opportunity to borrow from the various book collections for a period and then return them,” Anthony revealed.
He announced: “We will be expanding the artifacts programme in the next year. We have also added a shop to the Museum, where persons can purchase souvenirs of Guyana over the years.”
He reported that, last August, 40 children were trained through a course, at the end of which they were able to make a little exhibit for the Museum.
“We will continue to have new ideas for training in the New Year,” Minster Anthony said.
Turning his attention to the Walter Roth Museum, he said it is very interesting, as it has things that are unique, with regards to the various ethnic groups and traditional objects on display.
He said that the ministry has been using that place as a focal point for studies and will continue the pursuit.
“We have attracted a number of partnerships in anthropology and we will continue to work along this line to bring about new developments in this regard,” he pointed out.