THE AFRICAN WORLD HERITAGE FUND Investing..... in Africa ̀ s heritage

THE AFRICAN WORLD HERITAGE FUND

Investing..... in Africas heritage

• Africa’s heritage is the most underrepresented on the World Heritage List.

• Many African States Parties to the Convention have no sites on World Heritage List.

• High number on the List in Danger.

• The management is not effective.

AFRICA WORLD HERITAGE FUND

• 29th session of the WHC (Durban 2005) proposal to create the AWHF

• Endorsed by:

General Assembly of the State Parties to the World Heritage Convention (Paris October 2005)

African Union Summit on Culture and Education (January 2006)

CREATION OF THE AWHF

• All African countries upon ratification of the World Heritage Convention (53 AU countries)

• Voluntary contributions by member states to the World Heritage Convention

• Regular reports to be provided to the World Heritage Committee and the African Union

MEMBERSHIP

Identify African heritage sites to be inscribed to the World Heritage List

Conservation and management of heritage sites

Rehabilitate sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger

Train heritage experts Involve communities in

and ensure that tangible benefits accrue to them

MISSION

• To complement, not conflict with, the World Heritage Committee

• 10 year action plan with main emphasis on capacity building

• Strategic Plan for the next three years

All focus on:

1. Creation of Endowment Fund

2. Increase and improve quality of nomination to WHC

3. Programmes to improve conservation and management

MAIN MANDATE


STRATEGY PLAN 2008-2010

•Strengthen the AWHF operations

•Develop ownership structures

•Grow the Endowment Fund

•Develop partnerships with regional institutions and heritage professionals

•Continue to build capacity for implementing the 1972 Convention (based on experience in Africa 2009 etc)


- Category II: only UNESCO associated institution in Africa

- Long term investment in African heritage and implementation of millennium goals

- Sustainable development contribution - Access to in African countries – decision takers, cultural

and scientific community

THE OFFER

• Current Support of 17 Projects in 15 Countries in Cooperation with Country and regional Institutions

• Emphasis on Projects producing high Quality Nomination Documents

• Issues on Conservation and Management are gradually dealt with

• New Efforts:– World Heritage in Conflict and

Post Conflict areas– World Heritage and Sustainable

Development

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Culture Heritage (CH) are inherent elements of development. As asset for economic developmentAn element for the cohesion of social fabric, As patrimony to be protected for present and future generations,

CH promotes development in three ways;• by supporting social capital, •creating an environment that is attractive •providing leverage for the creation of products that draw from a local cultural dimension.

CULTURAL HERITAGE BASES FOR DEVELOPMENT?

•The heritage became scientific specimens which had to be curated and taken away from people.

•The people become a threat to their own heritage.

•With colonization come the idea of nation hood but more importantly the heritage places became places of scientific interest.

•Land issues and the uprooting of communities from heritage places.

•Urbanization creates a new cultural demission

MANAGING HERITAGE IN COLONIAL AFRICA

•Creation of Parks/Monuments/Museums

•A management style which emphasizes research and science

•Control of Access and monopoly of interpretation

•Exclusive government/private management/Universities

•All management and conservation geared towards attracting foreign tourist

•Exclusion-Communities a treat to the heritage

POST COLONIAL MANAGEMENT

‘Heritage’ is about the values that people attach to heritage assets

Cultural Heritage assets make a crucial contribution to local identity and distinctiveness.

They help to enhance the quality of our lives through their use

As an expression of local pride, often over several centuries, they matter to people – who must be consulted about their future.

HERITAGE

HERITAGE PLACES AS A RESOURCE

Consider other resources which contribute to peoples life's. Very often they are repositories of many things.

Achieving sustainability requires that these issues are also provided for.

Poverty should not be defined just as those living on less than a dollar a day but what the symptoms are.

Poverty manifested in various ways. 1.Hunger, ill-health2.Loss of dignity and self esteem 3.Lack of power, 4.Lack of choice and security.5.Helplessness 6.Loss of identity and self-esteem.

* The effects of poverty goes beyond the individual, it affects communities and countries

DEFINING THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

CENTRAL TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY.

Pre-requisite to solve poverty is the right and ability to participate in decisions which impinge on the Poor's own cultural and natural environment.

It is the cultural heritage and historical environment which have a role to play in ensuring that families, communities and nations have a sense of hope, self believe and identity which brings them together.

DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

The right to determine ones destiny and conditions underpins the efforts to sustainable development.

In most parts of Africa cultural heritage and the historical environment provide an opportunity for communities and countries to make decisions about themselves.

INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY

•Communities need to have access to resources on Heritage Place.

•Should not impose knowledge both scientific & traditional

•Need to create platform for dialogue with local communities

•Communities should be part of managing their own resources

Tourism has become a key management issue due to:

Increasing interest in nature Increasing interest in cultural tourism Generally expanding tourism industry

Higher expenditure of cultural tourists will help to generate economicgrowth, investment and employment make an importantcontribution to poverty reduction – a top priority among the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals.

CULTURAL TOURISM

HOW? (poor village economics)

•Selling of things to tourist

•Provision of entertainment to visitors

•Tour guiding

HOW ARE THE PEOPLE TO BENEFIT?

Many poor communities are rich in intangible cultural resources such as customs and folklore and are often located near heritage places.

Combined and integrated into tourism products, these two cultural resources, can be useful tool for reducing poverty levels of such communities

• Understanding tourism as an industry particularly in Africa

• How do we identify Heritage issues in the millennium goals?

• Is heritage particularly cultural heritage separable from daily problems’

• The quality of benefit for a developing country and the local people

• Who should benefits?

THE CHALLENGES

Tourist

Where are they coming from?

Tour Operater

Transport

Accommodation

Food etc

(95%°)

Sites

Values & where?

Government

Policies

Community

Who?

LO

CA

TIO

N

Heritage Institution Community

Who?

Tax?

Sites

Values & where?

CULTURAL TOURISM GREAT ZIMBABWE

•Locals excluded from management

•However the area is a religious, grazing and source of various resources

•Rural areas over grazed

•Majority of local community selling curios to tourists

•Crop fields neglected

• High level of prostitution.

• 200 people moved out of the designed World Heritage site.

•Resettled families given cattle and permanent homes changing their economic life style.

•But culture changed.

•Limited consultation done.

•Now taking Botswana government to court for lose of rights to traditional home.

BENEFITS- TSODILO

CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITIES

Conservation project-need for water led to water and solar energy for the community

Kokolokgo –village

• Meaningful activities if heritage tourism is to become truly sustainable

•Need to asses tourism actors and making sure that they contribute to general development.

•Need to have meaningful and sustainable investment.

•Understand that cultural heritage pervades all elements of life.

•Need to define sustainability beyond economic issues

•Understanding the broad manifestation and causes of poverty.

•Poverty and sustainable development are complex but they both are dependent on cultural heritage

CULTURAL HERITAGE AND SUSTAINABILITY

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CONSTRAINTS. •Lack of the financial resources to maintain cultural heritage •Lack of financial resources and support to create the necessary infrastructure exploit their potential• lack the institutional capacity to mainstream culture into the development.•Lack of competent skills particularly at managerial level

CHALLENGES

•FINANCIAL PARTNERS CONSTAINTS•Lack of understanding of work culture in developing countries by financial partners•Need for quick returns by financial partners.•Prescription on what is important.•Lack of long-term sustainable intervention •Constantly changing strategies •Lack of clear coordination among financial partners

Heritage places are assets and resources which if managed and conserved in a sustainable way can led to uplifting of peoples lives

However the conservation of historical environments given its ability to bring about the self belief characteristics becomes central to any meaningful and sustainable economic development


… Patient because history is on their side, these masses do not despair because today the weather is bad. Nor do they turn triumphalist when, tomorrow, the sun shines…