In the context of the International Museum Day, the theme retained by the ICOM for year 2014 is “Museum collections make connection”. To mark the International Museum Day 2014, the Mauritius Museums Council has organized the following activities:
1. Opening of a ‘Nature Gallery’
The official opening of a new Gallery named as the “Nature Gallery” which is the third gallery of the Natural History Museum, Chaussée, Port Louis. The Gallery has been inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Honourable Mookhesswur Choonee, in the presence of the Chairman of the Mauritius Museums Board on 29 May 2014.
The objective of this “Nature Gallery” is to inculcate the importance and the necessity to preserve nature among the visitors. The Gallery depicts different worldwide minerals, fossils, endangered specimens in the ocean for example, the aquatic mammal, the Dugong, a beautiful exhibition on horns and antlers and a display on some birds and eggs in their habitats.
2. A temporary exhibition on Mauritius Railways.
Railways were introduced in Mauritius during British colony around 1856 and was suppressed in 1964.
The inspiration for building a railway network in Mauritius was of vital importance to improve the means to transport sugar crops from different sugar estates to Port Louis. At that time, there were about 262 sugar estates and about 125,000 tons of sugar crop were being produced annually. The exhibition will be opened to visitors up to 12th June 2014 at the Mauritius Institute Building, Chaussée, Port Louis and transfered to the National History Museum, Mahebourg as from 16th June 2014 to 5th July 2014.
