The Roles of Museums in Preserving Heritage

If you consider yourself passionate about museums, then surely the thought process behind why certain pieces are exhibited in a specific manner has tickled your fancy. Are museums actually responsible for preserving a nation’s heritage or could there be another motive in play? Get a chance to hear it all from the experts!

Panelists: Mr. Ayman Abdelmohsen is a specialist consultant for culture at the UNESCO Cairo office and believes that culture and heritage are major forces for development. Mr. Abdelmohsen was formerly an associate minister at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Along with his background in archaeology, he holds a master’s degree in museology and cultural management and is pursuing another degree in heritage economics. Prior to focusing on cultural management, he worked extensively as a museum professional in notable institutions, including the Grand Egyptian Museum, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and Women's Museum in Aarhus. Mr. Abdelmohsen has also participated in numerous conferences, exhibitions, workshops, and international summer schools in Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Japan. With his training and experience in museum and heritage management, he leads cultural projects to best aid institutions at national as well as regional levels.

Dr. Tarek Tawfik, who has a deep passion for Egypt’s culture and heritage, is the acting director of the Center for Archaeological Studies and International Heritage in Luxor – affiliated to the Faculty of Archaeology in Cairo University, where Dr. Tawfik received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Egyptology and later became an assistant professor in the same department. Additionally, he studied Egyptology for his PhD at the University of Bonn in Germany. Dr. Tawik was renowned for taking on many remarkable roles in the field: he was the former director general of the Grand Egyptian Museum project (2014-2019), elected vice president of the International Association of Egyptologists in 2019, deputy head of mission of the excavations in Cairo University, and member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). His lifelong devotion to the study encouraged him to share his expertise both nationally and internationally in over ten countries.

Moderator: Shosha Kamal is an Egyptian designer and artist, renowned for her Egyptian-inspired designs and philosophies. Since Kamal joined the design field, she’s been devoted to reviving the ancient Egyptian art and heritage and introducing it to the modern world across all design disciplines. Such continuous efforts were recognized in 2017 by his Excellency the President of Egypt, Mr. Abdelfattah El Sisi in the Youth Conference in Alexandria, Egypt. She founded the field “fundraising design” in 2013, a new design discipline aiming at helping NGOs and humanitarian entities fundraise donations through design. She is also the founder of Annure, a lighting brand that helps light African homes with every piece sold. Kamal won the A’ Design Award three consecutive times since 2014 in Milano, Italy, and was named by the same entity the “Design Hero” in 2016 for her efforts in making the world a better place through philanthropic design.