2006 Activity Report
2006 ACTIVITIES
I. Training and Research Department
A – Inventory and documentation techniques
for cultural and natural heritage of Congo
Brazzaville
 Context: It
is in order to have methodological tools to better face a worsening situation
that the Direction du Patrimoine et du Développement Culturel of Congo
has asked the Africa 2009 Programme end EPA
to organise this workshop.
Target: About twenty Congolese heritage professionals.
Objective: Train 20 Congolese heritage professionals
to the inventory techniques for immovable cultural heritage and prepare
them to take charge of the national inventory policy of Congo.
Content: The workshop was based on an assessment of immovable cultural
heritage in Congo and discussions and fieldwork with tools developed by
professionals for the knowledge of sites and monuments.
Dates: 23-27 January 2006.
Place: Brazzaville, Congo
Partners: Ministère de la Culture/DPDC-Congo, EPA, Africa
2009 Programme
Financing: Africa 2009 Programme
B - 8th
Africa 2009 Regional Course on the Conservation and Management of Immovable
Cultural Heritage in Sub-Saharan Africa
Target: 17 immovable heritage professionals (architects, urban planners,
site managers...).
Objective: Bring together African heritage professionals in order
to think of the major challenges that face management and planning of immovable
heritage in Sub-Saharan Africa. This course also wished to enlarge the
knowledge of challenges that need to overcome while carrying out conservation
activities
in an African context.
Content: A mixture of theory and practice. Parts of the Abomey site
were studied, such as Singbodji Square, the palace of the Amazons and
Agbodo (moat).
It included two main phases: (1)
policy & national trends, and (2) planning & management of sites.
The main part of the course centered on this second part with practical
exercises
where participants drew out management and conservation plans.
Dates: 04 September to 24 November 2006.
Place: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain, Porto-Novo, Benin.
Financing: ASDI (Agence Suédoise de Coopération
au Développement International), Swedish National Heritage Bureau,
Norwegian, Finnish and Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs,
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee and ICCROM.
C - 8th Africa 2009 Seminar for
Directors
Theme: "Links between the tangible and the intangible in the
management of immovable cultural heritage"
Target: the 13 directors of the participants to the 8th
Regional Course, these 17 participants, financial and technical partners
of the Programme, members of the Steering committee, Coordinators of
the 8th Course and resource persons.
Objective: share with the directors the results obtained during
the 8th Regional Course, discuss the theme of the seminar, and carry
on discussions started during the 7th Seminar for Directors in Mombassa
(Kenya) on the "After 2009".
Content: presentation of the content of pedagogical activities
and their applicability in the different countries represented, visit
of studied sites: Singbodji Square, the Amazons' Square and Agbodo,
the Abomey moat; discussions on the links between tangible and intangible
in the
management of immovable cultural heritage and on the "After
2009".
Dates: 20-24 November 2006.
Place: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain, Porto-Novo, Bénin.
Financing: ASDI (Agence Suédoise de Coopération
au Développement International), Swedish National Heritage Bureau,
Norwegian, Finnish and Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, UNESCO's
World Heritage Committee and ICCROM.
D - Internship of the CRAC
students (centre régional d'action culturelle) from Lomé
 Context: Internship
in the framework of the training of cultural outreach professionals and cultural
promoters.
Target: 26 students from the CRAC of Lomé, Togo.
Objective: Study representative Beninese cultural institutions.
Students also had the opportunity to discuss with resource persons
on their dissertation subjects.
Content: In order to have the maximum benefit of this internship,
the EPA coordination chose to concentrate discussions on assessment
techniques of cultural institutions. An evaluation grid was designed
with the interns to enable them to practice in the field. Study tours
were organised in Beninese cultural institutions: national museums,
Jardin des plantes et de la nature, National Archives,
National Library, Zinsou Foundation,
the Centre for the Promotion of Crafts, the Beninese copyright Bureau...
Dates: 20-26 March 2006.
Place: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain, Porto-Novo, Benin
Partners: Centre Régional d’Action Culturelle
(Lomé)
2006 ACTIVITIES
II. Museums Department
A - Evaluation mission of the National Museum of São
Tomé é Principe
 Context: The
National Museum of São Tomé applied for an Ambassadors' Grant
at the US embassy of Libreville,
Gabon. A detailed evaluation was asked by the United States. The study
included the building, the management of the museum, the stores, land the
exhibition rooms. The evaluation's aim was to provide a list of priorities
for the best use of funds.
Dates: 1-7 September 2006.
Objective: Assess the museum in order to draw out recommendations
and areas of priority intervention.
Financing: United States of America.
B - Evaluation mission of the University
Museums
of Kinshasa, DRC
Context: After the application of the University Museums for an
Ambassadors' Grant for Cultural Preservation, an evaluation mission was decided
by the
USA.
Dates: 8 -13 November 2006
Objective: Make an assessment in order to enable the directors
of the University Museums of Kinshasa to better know their priorities
and to better direct the rehabilitation
of infrastructures, the acquisition of equipment and the collections'
conservation and restoration means.
Financing: United States of America.
C - Académie des Fées Holiday activities 
Objective: Develop cultural and artistic awareness within children
from 4 to 8 years old centred on Guèlèdè masks.
Participants: Eighty primary school children from Porto-Novo.
Dates: 18-28 July 2006.
Place: Musée ethnographique S.A Adande and Jardin des Plantes
et de la Nature (JPN), Porto-Novo, Benin
Coordination and animation: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain
Financing: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain
D - Advice for the organisation of the Agossou collections
and for the setting up of the Musée des Masques
d'Adjarra (museum of masks)
Context: A private collector in Adjarra, Benin,
asked EPA to advise and support him for the setting up of a museum to display,
promote and preserve his collection of about 100 artefacts originating from
DRC.
Place: Hounsinvié, Adjarra
E - Technical assistance for the organisation of the
first Festival des masques d'Adjarra (1st Adjarra Mask Festival)
Context: This first annual festival was a prelude to the opening
of the Musée des masques
d'Adjarra.
Dates: 12-24 September 2006
Place: Adjarra football pitch
2006 ACTIVITIES
III. Landscapes and Heritage Department
In 2006, the department's activities were centred on its mission of advising
and assisting city councils and African institutions. The city of Porto-Novo
continues to be our main experimental framework.
The main activities carried out are the following:
A - Feasibility study for the city of Porto-Novo for the creation
of the Maison du Patrimoine (House of Heritage).
B - Previsualisation of the Maison du Patrimoine and planning of
its technical activities taking example on the Migan House.
C - Drawing out of juridical, economic and social rehabilitation models of
houses listed on the heritage list of Porto-Novo.
D - Technical studies for the rehabilitation of three houses listed
on the heritage list of Porto-Novo: Migan, Pinhero, Latoundji houses.
E - Advising on the rehabilitation of the listed Eglise
des Chérubins et Séraphins in Porto-Novo.
 F
- Assistance for the choice of the site of the Maison de la Radio
of the National Assembly of Benin in the historic part of the city of
Porto-Novo and coordination of the architectural dossier of the radio.
G - Advising of the town of Ouidah for the improvement of the "Door
of No Return" monument.
H - Launching of a pilot study on the integration
of cultural heritage in the curricula of African technical and professional
schools (Benin).
I - Drawing up of information and training programmes on how to handle
heritage, for African town councellors of the MDP (Municipal
Development Partnership).
J -Preparation of technical dossiers for the building and equipment
of EPA's multi-purpose room.
Main partners in 2006: Cities of Porto-Novo and Lyon,
city of Ouidah, Unesco cluster office in Accra, France–Unesco Convention,
Municipal
Development Partnership (MDP), NGO Hope for
Africa, COOPARCH.R-U. Culture 2000, FSP Musée-French Cooperation,
etc.
2006 ACTIVITIES
IV. Publishing Department
 ICT:
Publications:
- Participation in the writing of "Patrimoine culturel
et développement local : guide à l’attention des
collectivités locales africaines", co-published by
CRATerre-ENSAG and Convention France-UNESCO.
2006 ACTIVITIES
V. Special projects Department
A - "Museums in the service of development" Programme
Context: Museums in the service of development (MSD)
is a programme in support of the development of museums and related institutions
so that they may become important actors in the educational, cultural, social
and economic life in Africa.
Activities:
- Drawing up of information documents (presentation leaflets,
call for projects,
MSD project presentation form) in French and English;
- Diffusion of these documents on EPA's web site and by e-mail to museums
and related institutions and to cultural heritage directorates in Sub-Saharan
Africa;
- Creation of comities of "Museums-schools" and "Permanent
and temporary exhibitions" experts.
In answer to the call for projects, about twenty projects from Francophone
and Anglophone Africa have been presented.
Financing: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
B - Jardin des plantes et de la
nature (Garden of Plants and Nature)
Activities of the JPN in 2006 were of two different sorts:
1) visits to the Museum of Plants and Nature
and 2) events taking place within are outreach workshops.
1- Visitors
The Museum of Plants and Nature welcomed
4610 visitors in 2006 of whom 3107 were schoolchildren
(pedagogical workshops).
2- Events
2-1 Drawing competition on the theme "The local
public garden" in partnership with the NGO
Femme Action et Développement, the town hall, the MDP (Municipal
Development Partnership) and EPA.
Date: second trimester
Target: primary schoolchildren of the Porto-Novo area.
2-2 Pedagogical workshops on Guèlèdè (songs,
dances, story tales, modelling, etc.) in partnership with Académie
des Fées of EPA.
Date: 18-28 July 2006
 Target: 80
primary schoolchildren.
2-3 Holiday workshops organised in partnership with the ‘’ Sukhyo
Mahikari ’’ association and based on the protection of nature.
This activity brings together each year at the JPN during a week,
more than a hundred children whose mission is to cleanse the environment,
both in the JPN and in the city of Porto-Novo, while encouraging the children's
sense of environmental initiative.
Date: 25-30 July.
2-4 7th issue of "Thematic Christmas at the JPN" which
brought together on
23rd December,
171 children from 3 to 10 years old, under the theme "the butterfly,
a multicoloured insect". With the remarkable support of the German
ProCGRN-GTZ and the Ecole
du Patrimoine Africain.
2006 ACTIVITIES
VI . Partnership activities
A - Welcoming of interns and researchers
• Anna Labarias (Canada), currently studies for a
BA in History of Arts at the University of Concordia, Montréal.
Activities on cultural mediation (outreach programmes). Her internship,
from May 22 to August 31, was coordinated by the Museums Department and
focused on Guèlèdè masks.
Content:
- Study tours in Beninese museums (Ethnographic Museum, JPN,
Abomey Museum,
Zinsou foundation)
- Preparation and implementation of the Guèlèdè workshop
- Suggestions for cultural outreach activities for children in Beninese museums.
• Camille Romeggio (France), studying for a
MA at the Ecole
Supérieure d’Art d’Avignon, France. Carried out research on
issues concerning the conservation of Yoruba ritual seats.
• Muetsa Koumba Bignoumba (Gabon), outreach officer at
the Musée
national des arts et traditions of Gabon. Internship on cultural outreach
coordinated by the Museums Department, from November 13 to December 27
2006.
Content:
- Recap of basic theory
- Conception of personal projects
- Practical activities coordinated by the Académie
des Fées:
* Study tours in Beninese museums (Ethnographic Museum, JPN,
Abomey Museum,
Honmè Museum);
* Preparation and implementation of the programme in museums and schools;
* Participation in the implementation of "Thematic Christmas at the JPN".
B - Signature of collaborative agreements
- With the Chinese National Institute, 17 February
2006, Rome, Italy
- With the CRAC of Lomé, Togo (Centre régional d'action
culturel), 24 March 2006, Porto-Novo, Benin
|
Anne Avaro: Participation in the meeting of the Scientific Committee
of the AFRICOM conference "Intangible heritage: African museums
and living cultures",
Cape Town, South Africa, from February 13 to 15 2006.
|
Gérard Tognimassou: Participation in the workshop "Programme
de formation au patrimoine mondial des guides locaux du Bénin,
du Ghana et du Togo", Notse and Koutammakou, Togo, from 16
to 20 March 2006. |
Gérard Tognimassou: Participation in the National heritage
week of Mali, Timbuktu, Mali, from 19 to 25 June
2006. |
|
Alain Godonou, Anne Avaro: Participation in the official opening of
the Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France, from 20 to 23 June
2006.
|
Edouard Koutinhouin: Participation in the colloquium "Afrique
et patrimoine pour quels publics ?", Bamako, Mali, from 8 to 12
September 2006. Presentation: "Museums in the service of development".
|
Alain Godonou: Participation in the colloquium "Expériences
et mémoires", organised during the 11th
Sommet de la Francophonie, Bucharest, Romania, from 11 to 15 September
2006. Presentation: "Notes sur les perceptions décalées
du patrimoine colonial en Afrique".
|
Victoire Adegbidi: Participation in the special session on Heritage: "Patrimoine
culturel des villes et territoires, les enjeux du partenariat",
Africities Conference,
Nairobi, Kenya, from 18 to 24 September 2006.
|
|
Alain Godonou: Participation in the conference "Cultural
emergency relief", Prince Claus Foundation, The Hague, Netherlands,
from 25 to 26 September 2006.
|
EPA: Participation in the 2nd AFRICOM General Assembly and Conference,
Cape Town, South Africa, from 4 to 7 October 2006.
|
Fakambi Bankolé: Participation in the plenary meeting and seminar
of the "Culture 2000" project of the European Commission entitled "L'architecture
coloniale une identité à partager", Brussels,
Belgium, from 23 to 26 November 2006. Presentation: EPA's work
on architectural heritage of Porto-Novo. |
Gérard Tognimassou: Participation in the XIth colloquium of the
Association ouest-africaine d'Archéologie, on the theme "Les
atteintes au patrimoine culturel physique de la sous-région ouest-africaine
et la problématique de sa conservation", Ouagadougou, Burkina
Faso, from 27 to 30 November 2006. Presentation: "Management
and conservation
of archaeological sites: what perspectives
for a partnership between the Africa 2009 Programme, EPA and AOAA?". |
|
Alain Godonou: Participation in the international
workshop on Saint-Louis,
World Heritage Town, Saint-Louis, Senegal,
1st December 2006. Presentation: "Les métiers
du patrimoine et la sauvegarde des savoir faire". |
|
Gérard Tognimassou: Participation in the meeting of the Steering
Committee of the Africa 2009 Programme,
Banjul, The Gambia, from 11 to 13 December 2006. |
They visited us
All our thanks to our funding, institutional and technical partners for supporting
our activities in 2006:
AIF
World Heritage Center of UNESCO
Compagnia di San Paolo
Fondation Leventis
Fondation Bettencourt-Schueller
The Getty Foundation
Government of Angola
Government of Benin
Government Tunisia
ICCROM
Ministère des Affaires étrangères,
France
Ministère des Affaires étrangères,
Italie
Ministère de la
Culture, France
Piémont Region, Italy
RFI
UNESCO
Université d'Abomey-Calavi
Africa 2009 Programme
City of Lyon
City of Porto-Novo
|
