Departments > Training and Research

Training

• University courses
• Seminars of directors
• Thematic workshops
• Africa 2009
• Training of instructors
  
  

University courses

EPA dispenses BA and MA courses in preventive conservation and cultural animation. Those who are interested in higher level degrees or by studies in Cultural heritage management can enquire at the Université Senghor d'Alexandrie.

10th university course, 1999

The EPA university course spans 2 academic years and is validated by a DUT (Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie - Technological University Degree) in preservation and animation in museums. It is recognised by Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne University and the National University of Benin (UNB).

• The 10^th university course started on March 1, 1999 and includes 16 museum professionals coming from 13 countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea (Conakry), Madagascar, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo. It will end on May 31, 2001.

Seminars of directors

Seminars of Directors aim to integrate better preventive conservation into the general development of the museum. They also stimulate information exchanges, as well as discussions, on the protection of cultural and natural heritage. These intensive one-week workshops provide an opportunity for directors to examine current programmes and projects in sub-Saharan Africa and to decide on future planning.

• The 9^th seminar of museum and heritage directors was held between 27 September and 1 October 1999 and had "Museums and children's education" as theme.

  Eighteen directors, researchers, consultants and persons in charge of heritage, coming from Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea (Conakry), Mauritius, Niger, Senegal and Togo attended. UNESCO and SADCAMM were represented by Mr. Lupwishi Mbuyamba, Representative and Regional Cultural Counsellor and by Mr. Sahezahan Abdoolrahaman, Director of the Mauritius National Museum.

Thematic workshops

The workshops provide additional specialised training in a given museum field. They are organised for high-level executives from museums in sub-Saharan Africa and last from 2 to 4 weeks.

2005:
• From December 5 to 9 2005, Territories and Heritage workshop: Heritage and management of territories, in partnership with Inp, which brought together urban planning professionals, heads of rehabilitation or planning projects, people in charge of environment.
• From July 18 to 22, Press and cultural heritage workshop with about 20 African media and heritage professionals from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea Conakry.
• Visitor Policies workshop, which brought together, from May 16 to 21, about 30 African professionals in order to prepare the implementation of efficient visitor policies in African museums.
• Central Africa: situation and development strategies for cultural heritage workshop, from May 23 to 27 2005 with about 15 heads of cultural heritage from Central Africa.
• Workshop on the Basic Principles of Conservation of graphic documents, which brought together about 12 professionals from museums, archives and libraries, from February 7 to 25, 2005.

  2004:

• Territories and heritage workshop at EPA, on the theme "A sense of place", in collaboration with Inp (Institut national du patrimoine) and with the support of UNESCO, from November 29 to December 3, 2004.
• The scientific and cultural project: a strategic tool workshop, organised in partnership with Inp-France and financed by ICCROM and the French and Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, took place at EPA from May 3 to 7, 2004.
• From February 16 to 27 2004, EPA organised at its headquarters a Teachers' training workshop on teaching techniques in conservation and management of cultural heritage, financed by the Getty Grant Program.

  2003:

• From November 11 to December 5, 2003, EPA organised a course on the Scientific and cultural project of Behanzin's palace (Abomey, Benin) for two senior executives of the Abomey Historical Museum and one senior executive of the Cultural Heritage Directorate. This course, financed by Japan via UNESCO, will enable the staff to give a cultural life to the site.
• From February 17 to 28, a test workshop on the Management of museum collections in storage was organised by EPA, in collaboration with ICCROM and the Museum of Natural History of Nantes (France). The workshop brought together 15 participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo, and enabled EPA to test the pedagogical material created for the "Collections in storage" module, in the framework of the Generation 2 Project.

  2002:

• From May 7 to July 12, 2002, EPA organised its first course on the Conception and Management of Educational Programmes for Museums, financed by UNESCO and the Ford Foundation. Fifteen education officers and animators from museums and related institutions participating in the Schools/Museums pilot project, participated.

• From March 25 to April 19, 2002, EPA gave a course on Documentation of Museum Collections for Angolan museum professionals, in Luanda, Angola. The four week course financed by Italy via UNESCO brought together 17 professionals from 11 Angolan museums.

  2001:

• A workshop financed by UNESCO and French Cooperation on "Reception and management of visitors in museums" took place at EPA from June 11 to 22, 2001. It gathered 26 guides and museum education staff from museums of Togo and Benin.
• EPA organised for the guides of the Abomey Historical Museum a workshop financed by Italian Cooperation on "Reception and management of visitors in museums", from February 26 to March 2, 2001.
• From 08 to 19 January 2001, EPA trained 10 museum professionnals of Burkina Faso, in Ouagadougou. The themes of the two training sessions were Management of museum documentation and Strategic Management of museum resources. The workshop was financed by the Royal Tropical Institute of Netherlands (KIT).

  2000:

• A workshop financed by Italian and French Ministries of Foreign Affairs on the theme: "Management of inventories and collections" was held from 29 May to 23 June 2000 in Porto-Novo. It brought together nine curators and managers from Beninese museums and an executive from the DPC who were trained in checking and updating collection inventories.
• The "Strategic management of museum resources" workshop, financed by Italian Cooperation, was held at EPA between 26-30 June 2000. This accelerated one-week workshop trained 14 executives from national museums and the Benin Heritage Directorate in the basic principles of strategic management in Beninese museums; it also set up standardised strategic management tools for all of them.

AFRICA 2009

EPA is participating in the Africa 2009 Programme, organised by UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, ICCROM and CRA-Terre (Research centre on earthen architecture), for training curators and managers (architects, town-planners, local officials and decision-makers) specialised in immovable cultural heritage. This programme will attempt to integrate immovable heritage into a wider context of sustainable development.

• The 6th Regional course took place in Porto-Novo from August 30 to November 19, 2004. The course brought together 19 cultural heritage professionals (architects, town planners, archaeologists, historians) from 15 French-speaking African sub-Saharan countries. The course was followed by the 6th Seminar for Directors.
• The 4th Regional course took place in Porto-Novo from September 2 to November 22, 2002. The course brought together 18 cultural heritage professionals (architects, urban planners, curators...) from 16 French-speaking African sub-Saharan countries.
• The 1st Regional course was organised jointly with EPA in Porto-Novo from 28 August to 13 November 2000. It brought together 18 participants from 15 French-speaking African sub-Saharan countries.

Training of instructors

This scheme aims to train and integrate former participants and other persons motivated and qualified to teach into the teaching staff. Their experience in different sectors will enable them to set up, test and develop didactic tools in their various fields of expertise. To this end they will receive training courses and research scholarships enabling them to consolidate their technical and teaching skills.

About a dozen junior teachers assisted older teachers in PREMA's 10^th university course in 1999.