Qatar Celebrates International Museum Day

Doha, May 16 (QNA) - Qatar Museum Authority (QMA) has on Thursday held its annual celebration on the occasion of the International Museum Day at the Museum of Islamic Art under the theme of Museums (memory + creativity) = social change. At the outset of the ceremony, National Museums Committee Chairman HE Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani said Qatar is keen on museums and takes steady steps to establish additional ones and provide them with the latest exhibition and design technologies. In a speech given on his behalf by National Museums Committee Deputy Chairman and Qatar National Museum Curator Nasser Al-Hammadi, HE Sheikh Hassan said Qatar celebrates this day because museums are no longer places to exhibit precious collectibles, antiques and monuments but rather, they have become dynamic institutions that interact with society. He added that museums are now used as a tool to clarify notions about social civilizational achievements of individuals and societies, stressing the importance of museums in the consolidation of national identity through their different programs and activities. The International Museum Day is celebrated worldwide on May 18 of every year. It was created in 1977 by the World museum Community as an occasion to raise awareness on the significance of museums in the development of society. (QNA)