Promoting partnerships between museums and communities in Honduras

• Strengthening links between museums and visitors at the Comayagua Anthropology Museum © Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History

UNESCO’s Programme for the Preservation of Endangered Movable Cultural Properties and Museum Development has linked up with an innovative ‘Museums and Communities’ Network in Central America to strengthen the relationship between museums and local communities in Honduras.

As part of the UNESCO project ‘Museums and Communities for Development in Honduras’ launched in January 2007, the Comayagua Museum of Anthropology and the San Pedro Sula History Museum are strengthening their relationship with local communities and developing strategic alliances with schools, businesses, tour operators and other important partners.

The participating museums, which are both profoundly linked to the history of Honduras through their prestigious archaeological collections, have improved and modernized their cultural offerings and community services. Moreover, communities have been solicited to become actively involved in the preservation and promotion of heritage. Training in cultural heritage has allowed members of local communities and staff from the museums to increase their knowledge of Honduras cultural heritage. A stronger link has also been forged among communities, museums and teachers so that Honduras museums can be used as effective and diverse pedagogical resources. As a result, 40 tour guides in Comayagua and 40 teachers in San Pedro Sula received training in order to enhance their understanding of museums and simplify their access to comprehensive cultural heritage information about Honduras.

Working in close cooperation with the Honduras Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), the City Hall of Comayagua, the Chamber of Commerce, the Cultural Committee of Comayagüense, and the Honduras Centre for Pre-Columbian and Historical Studies, the project promotes the development of strategic alliances with enterprises and other important institutions, reconciling their economic development and the protection of their cultural heritage.

The project, which terminated in March 2008, is funded by the United States of America’s contribution to UNESCO’s 2002-2003 Regular Programme Budget and managed by the UNESCO Office in San José. The Latin American Institute for Museums (ILAM) is providing regular technical monitoring and guidance.

For more information, please contact the UNESCO Office in San José.