The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) began its campaign to highlight the need for museums to be open on Sundays and Public Holidays.
Standing outside the Quinta das Cruzes museum, Ricardo Lume affirmed that:
“Quinta das Cruzes is an important museum and was the only museum in the Region open on Sundays, thus allowing many Madeiran workers to spend time with their families in a museum or cultural space.”
After the pandemic, he noted, the Quinta das Cruzes Museum as well as the other Regional Government funded museum’s closed on Sundays and public holidays.
“This reality demonstrates that the importance of museums and other such facilities are being pushed into the background. This is wrong! Cultural and historical buildings should be open for everyone to visit, and remain free of charge for all residents, as has been the case since 2017.”
“Since museums are educational and cultural centres of a participatory and decentralised nature, capable of motivating individual and community interests, it becomes clear the importance of implementing this measure in the Autonomous Region of Madeira,” he argued, “I believe that this would be a measure “capable of countering the fall of visits to our museums by the resident population because if there is a relevant purpose on the part of the museum, in addition to heritage preservation and scientific research, as well as a strong focus on education and training these cultural centres will reinvigorate the local populous’s interest.”
To conclude, the PCP has vowed to fight for the right to visit a museum on a Sunday or public holiday.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
