West and East Africa unite for the Protection of Cultural Heritage
Kaya/Credit: National Museums of Kenya
From West to East of the African continent, cultural actors and their partners were mobilized, from 18 to 20 July 2017, around questions concerning challenges for the protection of cultural heritage, including the illicit trafficking of cultural property. Simultaneously from Senegal to the Republic of Mauritius, two regional events took place to strengthen regional cooperation for the protection of cultural heritage.
UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel) and Regional Office for Eastern Africa organized two sub-regional meetings, respectively in Senegal and in the Republic of Mauritius. A platform for multilateral exchange and cooperation, UNESCO organized a working group in Dakar, Senegal, to initiate a joint action to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property in the Sahel region. On the East coast, a regional conference and ministerial roundtable in Port Louis, Mauritius strengthened synergies for the protection of cultural heritage in East Africa and the adjacent Indian Ocean states. The two meetings took place almost 41 years to the date of the Cultural Charter for Africa adopted on 4 July 1976 in Port Louis, Mauritius.
Strengthening synergies for the protection of cultural heritage in East Africa and the Indian Ocean
The ministerial roundtable in Port Louis, Mauritius, targeted the ministers of culture in the region (Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda). The event was attended by ministers from different countries, representatives of regional economic communities and key partners in the protection of cultural heritage (such as INTERPOL, UNODC, UNIDROIT, ICOM , ICOMOS, AWHF, CHDA etc.). The discussion platform enabled different national and international actors to share their experiences, innovative practices and policies in East Africa. More specifically, this meeting had four objectives:
• Analyze the current level of cultural heritage protection in East Africa at the national and regional levels;
• Raise awareness of the actions taken by UNESCO and the African Union in the field of culture; Inform stakeholders on the importance of international legal instruments and the benefits of their ratification;
• Increase collaboration between the East African and Indian Ocean States in the field of cultural heritage protection;
• Develop a framework for action with a road map of priorities for the protection of cultural heritage.
Towards joint actions to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property in the Sahel region
The Dakar working group focused on an important issue, which has taken on a particular dimension over the past five years: illicit trafficking in cultural property. In this regard, UNESCO initiated a joint action to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property (ITCP) in the Sahel region. The working group was composed of the Directors of Heritage and Museums from five countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. As the ITCP phenomenon is complex and involves many actors, heritage experts, customs and police services, specialized agencies such as ICOM, as well as the United Nations agencies, UNODC and UNOWAS, took part. Greater mobilization by the authorities and closer cooperation between the countries of the sub region are essential to effectively combat trafficking.
Participants technically worked to identify and prioritized the main issues to be solved, in the view of strengthening cooperation between countries, as well as of ensuring careful attention and active involvement of the technical and financial partners. As a pragmatic and participatory meeting, the working group meeting had three main objectives:
• Inform the participants on the state of the art of ITCP by country: validate the strategic note elaborated on this subject by the organizations and actors involved in the implementation of the integrated strategy of the United Nations for the Sahel;
• Draw up a sub-regional map of the ITCP, identifying actors, spaces, traffic routes, and identify priority areas for action;
• Develop a concept note for the implementation of priority actions to combat ITCP in the Sahel region, for presentation to potential financial partners.
Two complementary meetings
In a context where culture too often lacks consideration in national development policies, it becomes urgent to raise awareness among the actors concerned. Indeed, threats to cultural heritage have increased in many African countries, such as Mali, where the 2012 crisis has had serious consequences for the heritage. Moreover, these two meetings, which intend to act against these threats, are also complementary since they combine as much a political advocacy work in Mauritius on one hand, as technical work for the elaboration of a concrete strategy in Dakar, with the objective of acquiring legal and operational competencies, necessary for the protection of the heritage.
Resources:
UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally exported cultural objects
Charter for African Cultural Renaissance
Links:
Fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property
Event
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