A suggestion has been made that Heritage Collection Museum at East End should be made a National Museum of Anguilla. The view was expressed by Ms Jasmin Simmons, Librarian at the National Library and Information Systems Authority in Trinidad & Tobago.
Ms Simmons, who specialises in preservation, was primarily in Anguilla to attend the UNESCO Pan-Caribbean Consultative Workshop on Memory of the World on June 5 and 6. She was also here to discuss nominations for the Regional Memory of the World Register, look at several different heritage collections, and advise on what are the best preservation methods they can use.
She was particularly struck by the scope, organisation and presentation of Heritage Collection Museum, whose Curator is historian Mr Colville Petty, OBE. “It was a wonderful place to visit,” she told The Anguillian. “I think it should be a part of every school tour in Anguilla. It is something I think the Government of Anguilla should pour real resources into and make it a national museum because there is already the basis for what you consider is the history of the island.
“Before I went to Heritage Collection Museum, I knew nothing about Anguilla and when I left, I came away knowing about the history of the island from start to the present day. I was very impressed. All the objects and information Mr Petty has speak exactly about the feel and the touch of Anguilla. Every single section was in itself explained and excellent in nature. I was particularly drawn to the household items and the examples he was able to gather from different sectors of society.
“It reminds me about how much we are alike within the Caribbean because it is the same utensils that we would use in Trinidad and Tobago. I was taken aback by the section on slavery – the shackles he was able to get and that speaks about that history. There was an emotion within me that helped me to remember our own history. It was very emotive and I think that no one can walk into that museum and come back out the same – having seen the collection.”
Ms Simmons indicated that Heritage Collection Museum was the best she had seen in the Caribbean.
