The Mico INAFCA Museum
The Mico INAFCA (Indian African Caribbean) Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of topical materials and objects for educational purposes. Located on the ground floor of the Renford Shirley Building, the museum was established in 1986 to house the collection of historical objects for enjoyment by all.
Like other institutions of this kind, the INAFCA Museum is for the collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting of materials and objects for educational and aesthetic purposes.
Primary Objectives
The following are five of its primary objectives:
- The conservation of Mico’s historical buildings.
- The recording and preservation of the life and works of the late Dr. Aston Taylor, and other outstanding Miconians.
- The recording and preservation of Mico’s history through documents and objects.
- The conservation, research and exposition of the artefacts of the Indian, African and Caribbean (INAFCA) Collection.
- The research and exposition of cultural manifestations of the world by way of temporary exhibitions.
Exhibition Rooms
The INAFCA Museum has three Exhibition Rooms:
- The Mico Room which tells the story of The Mico University College.
- The Taylor Room showing the history of the life of Dr. Aston Taylor and other outstanding Miconians.
- The Temporary Exhibition Room as the name suggests, will carry temporary exhibitions on various topics from time to time.
What the museum is doing through its artefacts is to create a link between Indian, African and Caribbean territories. There is a define emphasis on Africa, since the vast majority of the pieces are from that territory and the vast majority of Jamaicans are of African descent.
While seeking to preserve the physical evidence of our past, the effort is being made to create a programme for the young, so that our intentions will not be fossilised, but form part of a dynamic continuum, which becomes our heritage.
It is fitting that the Museum of Education should be housed alongside the INAFCA Museum, since education has been one of the primary avenues through which change has been made and by means of which leadership has been provided through institutions like The Mico.
All persons are encouraged to visit and make use of the museum facilities, both for its educational as well as its aesthetic value.