Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development visits Museums Express

- February 26, 2020 , by Maagulf
Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development visits Museums Express

Sharjah:The country’s Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, visited the first-of-its-kind “Museums Express” during its stop at Umm Omarah Girls' School for Secondary Education in Khor Fakkan.

HE Al Kaabi, accompanied by Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) toured the mobile museum, which was launched by the Authority last year and is showing off replicas of exhibits from different Sharjah museums. 

Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi praised the initiative and said: “The ‘Museums Express’ project highlights the importance of museums and introduces the public to archeological findings and treasures that the UAE is home to. With a rich database of information and unique experiences, this project innovatively combines entertainment and education to develop public awareness about the country’s history and successive civilizations that flourished here.”

Al Kaabi thanked Sharjah Museums Authority for their initiatives to develop an intellectual and creative program for the future generation, and stressed on the need for a nation-wide ‘Museums Express’ initiative to boost a better understanding of museums and arts.

Officials taking part in the tour also included Najla Abdullah Al Darwishi, District Director at the Ministry of Education; a delegation from Sharjah Private Education Authority; and representatives of ‘Bee’ah’, the initiative’s official sponsor.

“Onboard the mobile museum, children can investigate such things as a model of Ibn Majid’s compass; a 5000-year-old necklace; a 19th-century glider; and an astrolabe, historically used by astronomers and navigators to measure the altitude above the horizon of a celestial body, day or night,” said Manal Ataya, director-general of SMA.

“We seek innovation, but you cannot have innovation without the creative process first. Creative thinking leads to new ideas or unique solutions, and innovation is how you implement them,” she added.

“Learning from diverse objects, whether it be a painting or a compass, children will learn that creativity involves analysing and restructuring our knowledge about a subject to gain new insights,” said Ataya.

Ms Ataya believes that objects tell fascinating stories and demonstrate new ideas at specific periods in history. “However, children should know that all of these ideas were built on and developed over time until the present day. We learn so much from the past and it helps us shape the future.”

The collection on display is based around creativity and exploration including artefacts, early inventions and traditional medicine ingredients. 

After the tour, HE Al Kaabi attended a workshop by Emirati artist Khalil Abdel Wahad, then visited Hisn Khor Fakkan, which was inaugurated last April by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Since its launch in January 2019, approximately 7000 private and public entities’ employees have visited the “Museums Express”.

The 47-passenger bus is expected to reach over 5,000 pupils attending 12 public schools in Khor Fakkan, Kalba, Wadi Elhelio, Al Madam and Dibba Al Hisn areas, after having made 28 visits to 14 schools in Sharjah’s eastern and central regions during its first phase. 

The bus makes a maximum of two visits a week, during which pupils enjoy a 20-minute guided tour onboard before engaging in workshops about the elements and features of abstract art for another 50 minutes. 

 

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