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The community museum has been fitted out in a disused
dwelling in Aït Iktel village, and is accessible to
the entire population. Women, for instance, can go
there quite freely, not as if they were going to an
official place, which traditionally, would often be
reserved for men. Moreover, this community space should
not be confused with an official public place. On
the contrary, it has been created in conjunction with
the beneficiaries and organised by the group, thus
differing from public places that are often run by
city-dwelling government officials working for the
public utilities.
The museum has an area for conserving the cultural
heritage (collections of cultural objects that are
produced or used in the region, photographs, etc.),
and an area for passing on ancestral knowledge and
for making objects (a tapestry workshop). There is
also a space for schooling (an informal school and
an area for teaching reading and writing), an activities
and meetings room with the necessary equipment (TV,
video recorder, satellite dish, PC, etc.) and a library.
The museum enables people to see the potential of
the community as an essential asset for development,
through its institutional heritage (systems for social
organisation, mobilisation, solidarity, etc.) and
ancestral knowledge, in such domains as governance
of "public" community affairs, and technology. As
an example, the Association has brought the solidarity
between the community and its diaspora (emigrants)
into play, which can provide both the intellectual
and material requirements for implementing and running
projects. Thanks to the Aït Iktel village community
museum, the Association has been able to carry out
some important development projects such as drilling
for and laying on enough drinking water for the local
population. This has meant that some children's diseases
including diarrhoea and typhoid have been eradicated
and that women and young girls have been spared a
great deal of time and work. Furthermore, an irrigation
canal has been built, resulting in twice the amount
of irrigated land, the possibility of growing summer
crops in the dry season, and the introduction of new,
more profitable crops. The village now has electricity
and good lighting, resulting in a decrease in the
consumption of wood. The electricity bill is a good
deal lower than that for the traditional lighting
used in the village before the project. This saving
has encouraged all the families to equip their kitchens
with butane and has given them access to the media,
especially television. As a general rule, the museum
takes local capacities and competencies into account,
and the cost of the projects corresponds to the purchasing
power of the beneficiaries.
A local dispensary has been fitted out and equipped.
Consequently, mortality among young mothers has been
eradicated, all the children and the women of childbearing
age have been vaccinated, and family planning has
been introduced.
The institution of informal schools has meant full-time
education for 100% of those under 21 years of age,
particularly girls. Lastly, the information and training
centre has made it possible to organise awareness
raising sessions in various fields (social, economic,
health, cultural), has provided access to professional
training for women and has introduced young school
children to reading thanks to the library. The school,
like all traditional institutions, notably the Koran
school, belongs to the local community. And so, as
each project finds its roots in the local culture,
the community museum is able to adapt to its cultural,
social and economic environment.
Ali Amahan
Ministère des Affaires culturelles,
1, rue Ghandi, Rabat, Morocco.
Tel. (212) 6317 6726. Fax (212) 3770 6941.
Email: aamahan@atlasnet.net.ma
Articles
around the theme:
 EXCHANGE
- Key
to memory
INNOVATION
- Cyberspace
Communities: MUVA, the Virtual Museum Of Arts El País
DEVELOPEMENT
- A
model community museum in a village in the High Atlas
INTEGRATION
- Celebrating
Australia's multicultural history
PARTICIPATION
- A
community regulates its own heritage
Articles
published in: "ICOM News", Volume 54 - 2001
N°1
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