Door of Return Museum symbolizes a synthesis of environmental building systems (EBS) and extends Senegal's cultural fingerprint along the Atlantic shoreline. Benefits of EBS technologies include ecologic imperatives, coexistence with nature, and transcultural synergies to name a few. Architecturally speaking EBS is the purposeful integration of environmental systems in a harmonious manner that maximizes passive energy solutions to the fullest extent possible. When doing so problems exist both environmental and contextual yet resolutions can be rewarding to the client, community, and most important the end-user. Overcoming problematic challenges maintains sensitivity towards nature, cultural history and vernacular typology. Design methodology mitigates natural systems such as thermal heat transfer, daylight control, natural ventilation and thermal lag prior to incorporating mechanical systems. The paramount result is a contemporary museum that educates via its collection and economized performance systems. / Master of Architecture

This study examines the perceptions of a small group of primary school teachers from Gugulethu in Cape Town, of the various exhibitions and education services currently offered at the South African Museum. Their perceptions of proposed services are also examined in order to find out which of these proposals, as well as existing services, best meet the needs expressed by this group of teachers. An attempt was also made to determine their level of understanding of environmental education and awareness of environmental issues. This study suggested the need for greater emphasis to be placed on the 'hands-on' components of the Museum's education programmes. The need for syllabus related and enriching educational programmes and resource materials was also identified. In this regard, the exhibits perceived to be of greatest benefit to the pupils were those relating either to the syllabus or their culture, whilst exhibits seen to be 'out of the pupils' experience' (eg. Fossils) were perceived as unimportant. The teachers also epressed a strong desire for training sessions to be held at the Museum that would help them improve their knowledge of the displays and programmes. It was found that the teachers understanding of environmental education ranged from syllabus-related definitions to more holistic views. The environmental issues perceived to be of greatest importance were mainly social issues such as poverty, violence, child abuse and street children as well as water pollution and cruelty to animals. The production of posters and resource materials, drama, story-telling and programmes for parents were seen to be among the choices most favoured for the Museum to adopt in promoting environmental awareness in the community.

Cette étude s’appuie sur un fonds d’enregistrements sonores, effectués au Gabon entre 1954 et 1966 par Herbert Pepper, chercheur de l’Orstom. En parcourant l’ensemble du pays, l’ethnomusicologue et son équipe ont collecté une grande variété de musiques, de contes, et autres expressions orales, et ont créé le Musée des Arts et Traditions de Libreville pour conserver, répertorier et valoriser le fruit de ces recherches de manière durable. Ces enregistrements peuvent être considérés comme étant des éléments représentatifs du « patrimoine culturel immatériel » gabonais, tel que le concept a pu être défini par la convention de l’Unesco en 2003. De nombreux pays comme le Gabon, dont les traditions se transmettent de manière orale, étaient jusqu’alors rarement représentés sur la liste du patrimoine mondial. Il est donc intéressant de retracer l’évolution et l’élargissement de la notion de patrimoine depuis le début du XIXe siècle, moment clé qui a vu se développer en Europe l’intérêt pour les vestiges du passé, tant sur le plan de la collecte des traditions orales que de la mise en musée des traces matérielles. Aujourd’hui, l’avènement des médias numériques a considérablement modifié les pratiques et conceptions dans le domaine de la conservation et de la valorisation du patrimoine. Grâce à la numérisation, les traditions orales bénéficient désormais d’outils adaptés à leur diffusion et il est possible de poursuivre le travail amorcé par Herbert Pepper lorsqu’il souhaitait conserver le caractère total des expressions culturelles gabonaises. / This study draws on a fund of sound recordings, made in Gabon between 1954 and 1966 by Herbert Pepper, Orstom's researcher. Going through the whole country, the ethnomusicologist and his colleague collected a wide variety of music, tales and other oral expressions, and created the Arts and Traditions’ Museum of Libreville to preserve, catalog and enhance the results of this research in a sustainable way.These records may be considered as representative components of “intangible cultural heritage” of Gabon, a concept which was defined by the Unesco Convention in 2003. Many countries such as Gabon, whose traditions are orally transmitted, were previously rarely represented on the World Heritage List. It’s therefore interesting to trace the evolution and expansion of the concept of heritage since the early nineteenth century, significant moment in Europe which has seen development of interest in the past’s relics, both of collecting oral traditions and conserving material traces in Museum. Today, the advent of digital media has significantly changed practices and conceptions in the area of conservation and heritage development. Through digitization, oral traditions now have suitable tools for their diffusion and it’s possible to continue the work begun by Herbert Pepper when he wished the character « total » to retain for gabonese cultural expressions.