MONROVIA, Montserrado – The National Museum of Liberia is expected to reopen at the end of October this year, according to its director, Albert Markeh.
The museum has been closed since April last year due to a major renovation of the building housing the historical gallery.
Markeh said although renovation on the building has been completed, interior design and recollection of historical materials are still ongoing.
Director for National Museum, Albert Markeh. Photo: Gbatemah Senah
He said when opened to the public, the museum will operate three separate galleries, including ethnography, contemporary, and historical. Those galleries are expected to incorporate modern technology including visual, online gallery, and research centers.
“This is the first major renovation done here since the end of the war,†he said.
Markeh said the renovated museum would operate more effectively than before the war years and students and tourists will have the opportunity to benefit from a hands-on reflection on the original culture and histories of the country.
A view of the ethnography gallery at the National Museum. Photo: Gbatemah Senah
He, however, drew attention to what he said were the thousands of artifacts and other collections that were lost to the war as the museum was looted and vandalized.
In 1958, under the administration of President William Tubman, a law was passed to create the National Museum.
It was intended to preserve and exhibit Liberia’s indigenous artifacts and antiques of historical, cultural, and political value.
A display of a traditional Liberian kitchen made of locally sourced materials. Photo: Gbatemah Senah
The museum is also meant to facilitate research, education, information and exhibition on the country’s cultural heritage.
Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah
