Promoting Burmese Multi-ethnic Cultural Identity through the Redesign of Yangon National Museum, Myanmar

Myanmar is an emerging South-Eastern developing country facing a number of important political, social, economic and cultural challenges that are redefining the country’s political, economic and social environment. Since the beginning of this transition process, Italy has supported the commitment of the Burmese government in preserving its cultural, natural and environmental heritage. As Aung San Suu Kyi, during her last vis- it to Rome, requested collaboration to develop and upgrade the Burmese museums through training and education, times were mature to develop a project answering to the call for funding opened by Sapienza in 2017 in favour of cooperation activities with developing countries, with the aim of implementing a training project with a people-centred approach. The project was then developed by Simona Salvo, professor at the Department of Architectural History Representation and Restoration, with support from Andrea Grimaldi, professor at the Department of Architectural Design, and in partnership with Cecilia Brighi Secretary General of Italia Birmania. Insieme, a non-profit institution with a time long engagement in supporting the social and cultural development of Burma. The general objective of the project was founded on the assumption that culture and heritage, if correctly presented and offered to fruition, are effective means for peace and social inclusion, especially in the cur- rent Burmese socio-cultural and political fragmented framework.