World celebrates International Museum Day on May 18

CAIRO – 17 May 2021: The world, as well as the cultural and archaeological circles, celebrates the International Museum Day on May 18 of each year, with the aim of acquainting the communities with the importance of museums in order to preserve them.

According to the UNESCO website, museums constitute a center for preservation, studies and reflection on heritage and culture. It can no longer remain aloof from the fundamental issues of our time.

The definition of museums changed in the two centuries after their appearance.Today, it has turned into "permanent, non-profit institutions working to serve and develop society. It is open to the public and can possess and preserve material evidence of the population and their environment, conduct research on them, transmit them and display them for purposes of research, education and entertainment."

Collection of objects can be found in most cultures after having long been associated with the taste of European monarchies. It highlights a relationship to the past that attaches great value to the tangible monuments left by our ancestors and aims to protect them and make them an essential element of the functioning of human society.

Together with the archaeological heritage, this group constitutes the main part of what is known internationally as World Heritage.

The heritage preserved in museums is considered a factor and tool for dialogue between nations and a common international vision aimed at achieving cultural development. Note that this development may vary greatly in terms of its nature and form, according to the historical and cultural framework.

The primary goal of museums is to preserve and protect the heritage in its entirety. It carries out the necessary scientific studies in order to obtain an understanding and determination of the meaning and ownership of this heritage.

Museums in this regard help to develop a global ethic based on practice with the aim of preserving, protecting and disseminating cultural heritage values.

As for the educational mission undertaken by museums of all kinds, their scientific work is equally important.

The role of museums is also represented in the interaction between culture and nature, with an increasing number of them focusing their attention on science, the natural sciences and technology.

Museums foster development within societies that preserve their evidence and attach importance to their cultural aspirations.

Community museums, through their great interest in their audiences, pay close attention to social and cultural changes and help us define our identity and diversity in an ever-changing world.