Strengthening ‘building block’ for preserving Arab documentary heritage

Recognising the significance of Arabic literature and knowledge, UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) Programme has been committed to preserving the unique Arab documentary heritage that has chronicled our collective histories, including the major cultural and scientific contributions recorded in Arabic language items.

With the objective of drawing attention to the need for better preservation of and accessibility to Arabic literature and knowledge, a panel discussion was held during a UNESCO special event ‘Arabic Language, Beyond the Legacy’ on October 25 at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco.

Organized as part of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud project, the panel discussion focused on Arabic documentary heritage and its contributions to the MoW Programme. The occasion saw the MoW Programme in dialogue with memory institutions across the region to strengthen knowledge and capacity to preserve and restore the Arab world’s valuable manuscripts, archives, photos, and maps, including through digitization.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Mr Tawfik Jelassi, in his recorded opening remarks reiterated the unique value of Arab documentary heritage and the risks it faces, while he regarded the event as a “building block for further action.”

This wider strategy has been materializing in the MoW Programme’s efforts to heighten awareness among the general public and key stakeholders, including policymakers, civil society, youth and media of the significance of Arab documentary heritage, the need to preserve it, and how to accomplish this.

Under the programme of Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the MoW Programme has been involved in adapting selected Arabic manuscripts into five UN languages, with the aim of promoting Arabic literature and knowledge across the world.

Ms Hiba Nachabe, Secretary General of the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, saw an opportunity for greater Arab cooperation in digitizing documentary heritage, as well as increasing public awareness at the level of schools and educational institutions. Further, she suggested comprehensive monitoring of the heritage that’s available and often not recorded in public and private libraries, as well as the collections of individuals and institutions.

Mr Naif Alnemra, Senior Researcher, Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, spoke about the “Inscription of Zuhair”, a documentary heritage inscribed by the Saudi Arabia to the MoW International Register in 2003,  of which its preservation provides valuable clues for researchers studying the form of Arabic used in the early periods of Islam.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of UNESCO, Ms Anissa Harfouche from the UNESCO Gulf States and Yemen Office in Doha highlighted a recent UNESCO report that warns about the increasing risk faced by the Arab region’s rich and varied documentary heritage. The report, which was based on a comprehensive survey conducted across the Arab region, reveals threats to its documentary heritage stemming from political instability, conflict, and natural disasters and decay. The report suggests that despite the efforts made by memory institutions across the region to mitigate risks, threats are heightened as institutions face challenges in limited financial resources against the high cost of conservation software and equipment, as well as limited technical expertise.

Speakers ultimately presented visions and examples of Arabic documentary heritage as a catalyst for societal development, peacebuilding, and reconciliation processes in the region and beyond. Finally, they also discussed how documentary heritage inscriptions can be used for teaching, research, and as a source of knowledge, country-specific challenges to preservation and accessibility, regional cooperation, and how to involve the public, media and civil society as a community to safeguard this heritage.