Le Musée Honmè : support de l’enseignement du panégyrique dans les

écoles du Bénin
Mireille AMEDE E. GBANHOUNME
Conservateur au Musée Honmè,
Ancien Palais Royal de Porto-Novo (Bénin)
E-mail : [email protected] / Tél : +229 97 17 58 61

Abstract: Archaeology latosensu and cultural heritage education in schools.
In a fast-changing world, the human brain is permanently incited to find out
original solutions in order to adapt oneself to the new environment and make it
more viable. The cultural heritage is also a kind of teaching tool very useful for
stimulating the intellectual and creative functions of a person or a child.
The discovering of the cultural patrimony helps the school boy/girl to satisfy his/her
need to investigate, compare, and be trained by oneself, either alone or in
collaboration with his/her fellows. To know their own culture is a source of
inspiration to bring peoples of different traditions closer for social harmony.
The sustainability of the cultural heritage is a huge challenge in the process of
development, mainly in the present day context of globalization which is erasing the
local cultural features. The cultural heritage development must take stock of the
youth’s heritage education through their own cultural identity in order that they
know their everyday environment better. That is why the outreach programme of the
Honmè Museum (Afinɔba) in Porto-Novo goes to schools and plans cultural
activities. Among those activities are : story telling in African languages, traditional
games and dances, calligraphy, and competitions in clans’ panegyrics
(akɔmimlan/oriki).
Our main focus is on the public school since they are the adults of tomorrow and at
the same time they have a strong capacity to disseminate the newly acquired
knowledge among their parents and friends.
Do we not have situations where we are seeking overseas solutions when they are
available at hand?
There is no plain societal expansion without taking into account the cultural
heritage development. The economic progress alone cannot determine the concept
human development.
Key words: heritage education, development, culture, youth of the schools, Honmè
Museum, Porto-Novo.