THE POPULAR ARTS MUSEUM

written by María Dolores Arrózpide Liceaga , Malaga 20.2.2005

This is the museum of Romantic Malaga, the museum that takes us back to the days when British travellers first fell in love with the air of southern Spain.

First, we enter the old Inn, once frequented by cavalry units, where so many travellers have taken a break on their journeys.

We are immediately greeted by two friendly women who look after the museum and show visitors around it. They speak to us in Spanish, but it doesn’t matter if we don’t understand too much. For this is romantic Malaga, where the sound of a voice and the innocence of instantly-recognisable objects are what really matter.

As a language class, it is a fantastic complement to our Spanish course. From the bakery to the blacksmith’s shop, the fishing boats, the oil factory, the olive press, the wine cellar, the tavern and the printing press, in short, a whole range of activities, including an entire house complete with birth chair, chapel and a display of period dresses.

All of life’s different activities are represented in this museum. All of its vocabulary is reflected by a series of objects which are real because they were once used by people just like ourselves who happened to belong to another era and another way of life.

For a little over an hour, we tour two floors of rooms overlooking a flower-filled patio. Nobody lives here -it is a museum after all-, and yet we feel as if we have plenty of company.

I have accompanied many of our language school’s students of all ages and levels of ability on their visit to the museum: the older ones leave with a smile on their faces, the younger ones totally relaxed.