PETALING JAYA: Even historical artefacts are not spared the scourge of Covid-19.
The number of people stepping through the doors of museums has dropped substantially as more people turn to virtual tours to learn the history of everything from Malay civilisation to pop culture.
Many of the 236 museums registered with the Department of Museums Malaysia now provide free access to their cultural heritage exhibits through online platforms.
One such repository is the Penang House of Music. It offers access to its large collection of music via social media.
“We have adapted to the new normal as required under the movement control order since March,” founder and musician Paul Augustin told theSun.
The museum now opens only three days a week, down from seven days before the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, it has lost almost 90% of its income. Despite the challenges, Augustin is determined to keep the music playing and to give music lovers continued access to its large repertoire of old songs.
He has done it by launching a series on Facebook and Twitter called Moments, featuring musicians who play “golden oldies”.
The Covid-19 has brought other challenges as well.
Augustin has had to reduce his staff strength to just four employees.
Apart from that is the added requirement to frequently disinfect the antique musical instruments to keep staff and visitors safe.
“Frequent use of disinfectants and wiping will spoil the textures and colours of the instruments,” Augustin said.
He has also begun to work on documenting and digitising Malaysian music to make it available on YouTube.
Also in Penang, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion has seen visitor numbers tumble from about 300 to only 20 to 50 per day.
Its director, Lilian Tong, also faces a different challenge. Some of its artefacts were sent to the National Museum of Taiwan Literature for a Baba Nyonya exhibition in September last year, and they were supposed to be returned in April.
However, the Covid-19 outbreak has made it impossible for Tong to get all the exhibits back.
“Fortunately, the Taiwan museum authorities have agreed to pay for the upkeep of the artefacts for now,” she said.
In the meantime, she has begun work on a project to improve the interior of the museum and to add new artworks.
“By the time the Covid-19 crisis is over, we will also have a new gallery that will exude the old vibes of George Town,” she added.
At Muzium Negara (pix), the number of visitors has dropped to less than 30% but to keep it in the limelight, the Department of Museums Malaysia has organised virtual tours to selected galleries that can be viewed on its website www.jmm.gov.my.
Its director of corporate communications, Roslelawati Abdullah, said the department has also organised free online interactive sessions with various curators through Facebook.
The series called “Tanya Kurator” now features 21 museums.
