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Support to the States Parties of Benin and Togo for the Preparation of the nomination dossier of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba as a Transboundary Site

Koutammakou is a vast transboundary cultural landscape stretching from north-eastern Togo to north-western Benin. It is the land of the Batammariba, a people remarkable in particular for its highly elaborate organic architecture reflecting an intimate relationship between humans and their environment.

In 2004, the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of this cultural landscape was recognised by the World Heritage Committee with the inscription of a territory of 50,000 hectares on the Togolese side. The State Party of Benin is proposing an extension of the property inscribed on the World Heritage List on its territory in order to restore its territorial integrity on one hand, and to add physical attributes that would reinforce its OUV on the other hand.

In order to succeed in proposing this extension, the Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DPC) has requested technical support from UNESCO for the preparation and finalisation of the nomination dossier. This project will contribute to support and strengthen the technical capacities of the national team of Benin in charge of the preparation of the nomination dossier, in view of its submission to the World Heritage Centre in January 2021.

Progress made:

  • Participatory identification of technical partner (CRAterre) and national experts involved with the States Parties of Benin and Togo
  • Ongoing finalization of the contracts (CRAterre, State Party of Benin)
  • On 31 October 2020, the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Benin submitted to the World Heritage Centre for technical review a draft nomination dossier for the Beninese part of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba. The document, which is the result of sustained work by the Beninese national technical team in close collaboration with the Africa Unit of the World Heritage Centre and CRAterre (technical partner), constitutes a first draft of the final nomination dossier that the State Party of Benin plans to submit to the World Heritage Centre by January 2021. A mission in Koutam-makou (Benin) by CRAterre and the World Heritage Centre is planned from 16 to 26 November 2020 in order to strengthen the national technical team for the finalisation of the dossier.




The Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba, a vast cross-border cultural landscape stretching from north-eastern Togo to north-western Benin, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004, for its Togolese part only. Currently, Benin is proposing an extension of this property on its territory in order to restore its territorial integrity on the one hand, and to provide physical and historical attributes that reinforce its Outstanding Universal Value on the other. Indeed, it is in Benin that the cradle of the Batammariba is located, whose oldest trace of occupation dates back to the 7th century AD. Benin has also recorded 1545 Sikien or "tatas" on its territory, these famous fortified family compounds which materialise the symbiosis of these populations with nature. Another good example on how culture and heritage in particular drive South to South cooperation.

The Direction du patrimoine culturel of Benin has mobilised a team of experts to prepare this extension proposal which will be submitted to UNESCO in January 2021. A final data collection mission took place from 19 to 23 November 2020 in the north of the Atacora mountain range. The World Heritage Centre, through the Government of China Funds for Capacity Building and cooperation for World Heritage in Africa, provided financial support for this nomination process.


                                            © Sébastien Moriset, 2020

The project was made possible

thanks to the financial support of

the Chinese Government's Fund
for Capacity Building and Cooperation for World Heritage in Africa.

Name of the property: Koutammakou, the land of the Batammariba

States parties: Bénin, Togo

Amount: 17,719 USD

Implementation period: September 2020 – February 2021 (6 months)

Partners: National: States Parties of Benin and Togo, École du patrimoine africain (EPA) International: CRAterre

See Also (1)
States parties (2)
Dates
Date Start: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Date end: Thursday, 15 October 2020