Guyana advances plans for new National Museum

…As Ramson reveals rigorous process in reviewing National Trust Act

Design submissions for a new National Museum have already been received by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
This information was revealed by the Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, Charles Ramson Jr., during his end-of-year press conference for his ministry.
“…we went out to tender for a design for a new museum and art gallery towards the end of last year. So, we have those design submissions in already,” he revealed.
He also highlighted the importance of a country showcasing the values of its history,, saying that, “It’s important for any country, any country, to display its work, artwork, its heritage pieces. It’s very important for us to tell our story as a nation as well,” the minister noted.
He added that once Guyana capitalizes on this, it will reflect the artistry of the country.
“So, we are going to be building a new museum in the future, but we’re not moving this one [the current National Museum] currently until that’s done,” he noted.
It was reported that last year, 28,924 persons visited the National Museum, 7,600 persons visited the Museum of African Heritage, and 3,279 persons visited the Walter Roth Museum.
The Minister shared his perspective on another highlight for the ministry, noting that the ministry completed the National Trust Act review in 2024, which was a very strenuous task due to the number of meetings held for this process.
“We also completed the review of the National Trust Act, and a new bill will be tabled in Parliament in 2024. This was a very painstaking process. We probably had about 30 – more than 30 meetings, maybe about 35 meetings, I would say, to complete this process of the review and redrafting of the legislation,” he disclosed.
“Now that we’ve finalized the draft, we did this all in-house. We didn’t hire any external consultants. The persons we did this with were part of a committee in-house. We did this ourselves. There was no external money going towards this, its preparation,” he also noted, emphasizing the work undertaken by the ministry.
“We completed it, and it took a lot of effort. Now we’re going to be completing the new legislation. When that’s done, you will see a number of new monuments gazetted for our protection and preservation,” he added.
The National Trust of Guyana was established following the passage of the National Trust Act, No. 7 of 1972. The Act “makes provision for the preservation of monuments, sites, places, and objects of historic interest or national importance.” Its main responsibility is the preservation of all monuments in Guyana.
The building housing the current National Museum, which was established February 13, 1868, will be rehabilitated.