The Associate Minister for Education, Sports, and Culture has supported the idea of bringing Samoan artifacts (measina) home from foreign museums abroad. 

Agaseata Valelio Tanuvasa Peto made the comments at the Art and Culture Center at Malifa on Thursday when he attended the commemoration of International Museum Day.

“Talking from my own perspective, the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (M.E.S.C.) has the mindset of bringing our long-lost artifacts back to our own museums. Even I look forward to bringing it all back,” Agaseata said. “We study archaeology, arts, and culture in our schools therefore by bringing the artifacts back, Samoan students will get a chance to see a piece of our history.

“My views are that if we have these artifacts back in our country it will improve school curriculum and also create a mindset where our future scholars would look for more pieces of Samoan history around the world.

“Hopefully the students who are attending the event take something back in the form of knowledge from these displays."

Agaseata said he hoped to carry on discussions with the Minister responsible for the Samoa Museum on its proposed expansion, as well as it being fitted with the necessary technology, in order to protect and conserve artifacts that repatriated back to the country. 

The National University of Samoa (N.U.S.) Senior Lecturer Mohammed Sahib said the university, through its Archaeology Department, had discovered many historical sites and they are hoping to continue this journey to have a better understanding of Samoa's history.

“We believe that there are more undiscovered historical sites out there and we believe that we can find them and pierce together the complete picture that was once Samoa," he said. 

The Art and Craft Centre in Malifa was filled with students from various schools who took advantage of the various displays and exhibitions that marked the celebration of International Museum Day.