The Management Of Cultural World Heritage Sites And Development In Africa

Ever since the signing of the World Heritage Convention 40 years ago and ratified by 33 African countries, to date, only 43 cultural heritage sites have been successfully proclaimed as World Heritage Sites in Africa. These include archaeological and historical sites, religious monuments and cultural landscapes. This book is a re-evaluation of the nomination and management of cultural World Heritage sites in Africa from the late 1970s when the Island of Gorée of Senegal and the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia were first inscribed on the WHL until today. It considers whether a credible and well balanced WHL has been attained, especially in regards to the nomination of more sites in Africa. The book also examines the roles and contribution of various heritage organizations and African governments to the nomination and management of cultural World Heritage sites in Africa. Lastly, the volume also scrutinizes economic development, which may result from the nomination and successful management of cultural World Heritage sites in Africa.

This open access book focuses on the management of transboundary UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Africa region. It highlights the region as a model of best practices on cross-border collaboration in view of enforcing the conservation of the site, engaging with local communities, and fighting against (in some cases) extremist groups inhabiting these sites. It also addresses the role of the World Heritage Convention in promoting transboundary cooperation and offers both an analysis and a list of priorities for improving the effective management of transboundary properties in sub-Saharan Africa defined. This book presents chapters from experts, site managers, technical and financial partners, academics, and representatives of the private sector from 20 African countries and 15 institutions involved in African heritage management. It provides an opportunity to share current and planned initiatives at the transboundary sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the Maloti-Drakensberg Park (South Africa, Lesotho), W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger), Sangha Trinational (Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic), and Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia, Zimbabwe). The publication further discusses African sites that could eventually be proposed for extension or nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List in collaboration with the local and indigenous communities. This book is suitable for heritage specialists and readers interested in cross-border collaborations.

Cultural Heritage Management in Africa explores the diversity of Africa’s cultural heritage by analysing how and why this heritage has been managed, and by considering the factors that continue to influence management strategies and systems throughout the African continent. Including contributions from prominent scholars and heritage professionals working across Africa, the volume presents critical, contemporary perspectives on the state of heritage in the area. Chapters analyse the practices that emanated from different colonial experiences and consider what impact these had – and continue to have – on the management of African heritage. It also critically examines the ideological influence of independence movements on the African continent’s management and remembering of heritage, and considers whether there are any differences in heritage management between countries that experienced armed conflicts and those that did not. The volume will be the first to critically assess the state of heritage management now, at a time when vital conversations about the balance between heritage and development is ongoing and the actions of new players have begun to impact the management and practice of heritage in the region. Cultural Heritage Management in Africa will be essential reading for those engaged in the study of museums and heritage, development, archaeology, anthropology, history and African studies. It will also be of interest to heritage and museum professionals who wish to learn more about the decolonisation of heritage.

Transboundary and transnational cooperation is at the very heart of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, as it reflects the core principle of shared responsibility, international solidarity and co-operation expressed in its Articles 4 and 6. It is an enriching experience of interculturalism and dialogue between people, and offers a unique opportunity to exchange and find effective and sustainable solutions for emerging issues such as climate change, migration, integration, conflict and many others. Home to the earliest human civilizations and some of the most spectacular natural places on Earth, Africa has fully embraced the World Heritage concept and is implementing some of the best practices when it comes to cross-border collaboration. I am therefore extremely proud to present this first publication of Managing Transnational UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa. Building on the outcomes of several initiatives under the World Heritage Convention, such as the first regional meeting on transboundary cooperation for the promotion of effective management of World Heritage sites in Africa, held in 2019 in the city of Man (Côte d'Ivoire), and the dialogue during the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting in the Africa region 2020-2021, this publication brings together a series of articles from specialists in the management of African heritage, reflecting the interdisciplinary and forwardlooking approaches that have dominated research and conservation methodologies for transboundary management in Africa in recent decades. By reading the articles of this publication, carefully selected by a technical and scientific committee, you will understand why transnational management of properties in Africa has emerged as a means to provide a cross-cutting and sustainable response to contemporary issues related to heritage and beyond. You will also learn about the variety of challenges and opportunities related to the management of these sites and different best practices that have been implemented. I would also like to recall the important statement that is the Ngorongoro Declaration, adopted at the Arusha Conference in Tanzania in 2016, which stresses the importance of preserving African heritage as a driver for sustainable development. The Declaration considers African heritage as critically important in order to achieve regional socio-economic benefits, environmental protection, social cohesion and peace. It is also worthwhile to highlight that this work is in line with the objectives of the African Union's Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, addressing the challenges of safeguarding UNESCO World Heritage in Africa in the context of the region's rapid development, and advocating for the incorporation of regional strategies in the pursuit of solutions, which will necessarily lead to an Africa with a strong cultural identity, a common heritage and shared values. In this regard, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to all the participating site managers, experts, institutions and government representatives for their commitment and dedication to the protection of African heritage for future generations. Last, but not least, I am particularly thankful to the government of the Netherlands

Every site that is inscribed on the World Heritage List (WHL) must have a management plan or some other management system. According to the UNESCO Operational Guidelines, the purpose of a management plan is to ensure the effective protection of the nominated property for present and future generations. This requirement was in part necessitated by the need to implement real systems of monitoring on the management of World Heritage Sites. Since its implementation in 2005, discussion on the function and the contents of management plans for World Heritage Sites has grown tremendously. The discussions have mainly been focused on the theoretical frameworks of World Heritage site management plans and proposals of practical guidelines for their implementation. This volume provides a platform for heritage practitioners, especially those working at Cultural World Heritage Sites, to put in writing their experiences and impressions about the implementation of site management plans at properties that are inscribed on the WHL. Cultural World Heritage Sites in this case refer to world heritage properties such as archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, religious sites and architectural structures. The book also seeks to examine the extent to which site management plans have been or are being implemented at Cultural World Heritage Sites.

For a long time, resource conservationists have viewed environmental conservation as synonymous with wilderness and wildlife resources only, oblivious to the contributions made by cultural and heritage resources. However, cultural heritage resources in many parts of the developing world are gradually becoming key in social (e.g. communities’ identities and museums), economic (heritage tourism and eco-tourism), educational (curriculum development), civic (intergenerational awareness), and international resources management (e.g. UNESCO). In universities, African cultural heritage resources are facing a challenge of being brought into various academic discourses and syllabi in a rather reactive and/or haphazard approach, resulting in failure to fully address and research these resources’ conservation needs to ensure that their use in multiple platforms and by various stakeholders is sustainable. This book seeks to place African cultural heritage studies and conservation practices within an international and modern world discourse of conservation by presenting its varied themes and topics that are important for the development of the wider field of cultural heritage studies and management.

The history of development has paid only little attention to cultural projects. This book looks at the development politics that shaped the UNESCO World Heritage programme, with a case study of Ethiopian World Heritage sites from the 1960s to the 1980s. In a large-scale conservation and tourism planning project, selected sites were set up and promoted as images of the Ethiopian nation. This story serves to illustrate UNESCO’s role in constructing a “useful past” in many African countries engaged in the process of nation-building. UNESCO experts and Ethiopian elites had a shared interest in producing a portfolio of antiquities and national parks to underwrite Ethiopia’s imperial claims to regional hegemony with ancient history. The key findings of this book highlight a continuity in Ethiopian history, despite the political ruptures caused by the 1974 revolution and UNESCO’s transformation from knowledge producer to actual provider of development policies. The particular focus on the bureaucratic and political practices of heritage, bridges a gap between cultural heritage studies and the history of international organisations. The result is a first study of the global discourse on heritage as it emerged in the 1960s development decade.