98% of museums worldwide have been affected by the coronavirus health crisis. In France, only the smallest establishments were able to reopen on May 11, the others having to wait until further notice. But according to Unesco, more than 10% of the world's museums may not reopen. "It will be lack of resources on the one hand, and on the other because it would have had to reinvent itself," said Ernesto Ottone, Deputy Director General of Culture at UNESCO, guest of Europe 1 Tuesday.
>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation on Tuesday, May 19
"A museum that cannot show its collections is an amputated museum"
Some museums, particularly old or small, do not have the space required for their visitors to be able to respect the rules of physical distance inside. And while the largest museums, such as the Louvre in Paris or the MoMA in New York bring their collections to life despite the health crisis thanks to their virtual visits, others do not have the technological and financial means to s 'equip. "Less than 1% of museums in Africa have been able to equip themselves with this type of technology", says Ernesto Ottone, who deplores: "A museum that cannot show its collections is an amputated museum".
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> Coronavirus: the French Academy has decided, it will now be necessary to say "the" Covid-19
> Coronavirus: is the second wave inevitable?
> Gatherings, trips, sport: what remains prohibited despite the deconfinement
> Deconfinement: what you need to know about returning to work
> Deconfinement: what hygiene for self-service bikes, scooters and scooters?
Museums will have to "reinvent themselves"
But the big museums are not spared from the crisis either. Due to the lack of visitors, many American museums have already fired with a bang. "This particularly took place within the education departments. Everything that has been done for 15 years to train and mediate is called into question by the lack of funding ...", he regrets.
To deal with the crisis, he explains, museums will have to "reinvent themselves", join forces and "work more together". "We will have to find new ways to show heritage."