African heritage in spotlight as sites recover from pandemic lockdowns
THE African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) will mark this month by celebrating the recovery of heritage sites affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including the removal of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Salonga National Park from the danger list.
The pandemic had not made things easy for the heritage sector, said AWHF.
“So many great outcomes have been achieved despite the challenges that face us in relation to the pandemic, where many of the World Heritage Sites were affected due to the lockdown closures. However, slowly but surely we are witnessing the recovery as many of the sites have resumed office again,” the organisation said.
“The successes include the removal of Salonga National Park in DRC from the danger list and the inscription of two other African sites, Sudanese Mosque in Côte d’ Ivoire and Ivindo National Park in Gabon, on the prestigious World Heritage list.”
According to Unesco, Salonga National Park is Africa’s largest tropical rainforest reserve.
Isolated and accessible only by water, it is the habitat of many endemic endangered species, such as the bonobo, the Congo peacock, the forest elephant and the African slender-snouted or “false” crocodile.
Unesco announced in July that the World Heritage Committee had decided to remove Salonga National Park from the List of World Heritage in Danger thanks to improvements in its state of conservation. It also observed that the management of the park had greatly improved, notably with regard to the strengthening of anti-poaching measures.
September is Heritage Month in South Africa, with National Heritage Day marked on September 24. The AWHF said it holds this national day in high regard.
South Africa, through Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, held a meeting in July on the Sites of Memory and the World Heritage Convention in Africa. The meeting was aimed at furthering the reflection on putting into operation the concept of sites associated with memory of recent conflicts within the framework of the World Heritage Convention in Africa.
The meeting brought together around 60 African experts from different constituencies and backgrounds across the continent, including academics, heritage professionals and government officials, to ensure in-depth and balanced reflection.