2007 Activity Report
2007 ACTIVITIES
I. Museums Department
A - First meeting of the BA in conception and implementation
of cultural projects
 Context: This
on line BA course is a collaborative undertaking within the partnership established
in 2004 with Université de Provence Aix- Marseille 1
for the training of high level professionals in cultural outreach in the
EPA network. This first meeting of students was also the launch of the second
course baptised Jean-Charles Berardi.
This course is given on line through a platform named Claroline of the
Université de
Provence Aix Marseille 1.
Target: 15 cultural heritage professionals from
seven African countries (Benin,
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Mali, Senegal) .
Objectives: make a concrete approach of Units E1-
2- 3 - 4, in particular an individual contact on the Unit 1 project; organise
intensive technical internships and a first exam on the four Units; clarify
and implement pedagogical and administrative arrangements, such as submissions
to be exempted of certain levels, the adoption
of the EPA / University agreement.
Dates: June 25 - July 7
Content:
- theory (Unit E5 The exhibition and its audiences, Unit E10
Administrative and financial management)
- practice (UE1 project, UE2 Culture and outreach, UE 3 Public cultural policies,
UE4 Study of cultural audiences)
- Evaluations: UE2- UE3- UE4- UE5- UE10
Place: Porto-Novo, Benin
Partners: Université de Provence-Aix Marseille
1
Financing: Mission de Coopération Française FSP « Les
musées
au service du développement. »
B - Survey on documentation practices
in museums of sub-Saharan Africa
Context: In order to help smaller museums from developing countries,
ICCROM and UNESCO (Museums section) have drawn up a three year programme
to develop pedagogic tools in four priority areas. Documentation of collections
is one of them and EPA's expertise was solicited.
Objectives: to know from a survey carried out in
targeted museums the state of documentation and the various initiatives
in documentation which have taken place during the last 20 years.
Content: a survey carried out in 14 English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking
countries.
Target: a dozen museums of sub-Saharan Africa.
Dates: April to September
Financing: UNESCO, ICCROM, EPA
C - Evaluation workshop of the survey on documentation
practices in museums of sub-Saharan Africa
Context: In order to better help museums from developing countries,
ICCROM and UNESCO (Museums section)
ordered from EPA a survey on documentation practices in African museums.
Target: About ten professionals from African museums; representatives
of ICCROM and UNESCO.
Dates: 20 -21 September
Objective: From the data gathered from the survey carried out by
EPA, evaluate documentation practices in African museums to better help
them in the implementation of simple and efficient documentation tools.
Coordination: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain-EPA / ICCROM
Financing: UNESCO, ICCROM, EPA.
D- Académie des Fées 
Objective: Develop cultural and artistic awareness within children
from 6 to 12 years old centred on Guèlèdè masks.
Participants: 200 primary school children from Attakè and
Dedomè schools in Porto-Novo.
Content: - Training of teachers, cultural outreach facilitators
and activity leader
- Guided tours of exhibitions (children's trails and Guélédé trails)
- Workshops: painting– dyeing– storytelling– poetry
-
song/dance…
Dates: March to June
Place: Musée ethnographique S.A Adande and Attakè and
Dedomè schools, Porto-Novo, Benin
Coordination and animation: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain
Financing: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain
E - Organisation of the Musée
des Masques d'Adjarra (Museum of masks)
Context: In the framework of the setting up of this private museum,
its director beneficiates from permanent assistance from EPA through the
Museum Department.
Content: all the artefacts were photographed, a documentary
file was created and sent to the Institut des Musées Nationaux in
DRC (from where most of the collection originates) for expertise, in order
to certify that
the artefacts have been lawfully acquired. Also, the inhabitants of the
locality have been sensitized to the concept of cultural banks.
Place: Adjarra
Financing: FSP-Musées: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2007 ACTIVITIES
II. Landscapes and Heritage Department
In 2007, the department's activities were centred on its mission of advising
and assisting city councils and African institutions, especially with the
school-building site for the rehabilitation of the Migan building, soon
to become the House of Heritage and Tourism of Porto-Novo. The main activities
carried out are the following:
A- Information
workshop for town councillors of Porto-Novo
Context: evaluate the dynamics of heritage rehabilitation of the
town and perspectives for the implementation of heritage management tools.
Target: town councillors of Porto-Novo
Objective: Inform the councillors on the studies carried out and
studies in progress and on perspectives for the management of cultural
heritage in Porto-Novo.
Dates : February 28
Place: EPA, Porto-Novo (Benin)
B - Workshop on the rehabilitation
of the Migan building
Context: In order to develop means to protect and enhance cultural
heritage, the town of
Porto-Novo
has chosen to rehabilitate the colonial house named Migan building, in
order to make it into the future Maison du patrimoine et du tourisme (House
of Heritage and Tourism). The rehabilitation of the building was the subject
of a technical study workshop in order to avoid
interventions which would spoil or destroy the identity of cities and townscapes.
Target: About 40 stakeholders (students and teachers from technical
and professional schools of Porto-Novo in the following
specialties: Employee – Technician
- Supervisor; artisans, technical partners,
professionals in the building area, local residents…).
Objectives: Determine approaches, tools and methods for
the setting up of rehabilitation school-building sites for colonial
(Afro-Brazilian) buildings of Porto-Novo.
- Sensitize the local community to heritage through demonstrative operations.
- Present tools for the mounting of rehabilitation operations of old buildings
- Suggest a programme of actions for the promotion of the historic heritage
of Porto-Novo.
Content: Technical meetings on the Migan site, communications,
debates, case studies, field trips.
Dates: 22 - 28 March 2007
Place: EPA, Porto-Novo (Benin)
Partners: COOPARCH-R.U, Culture Lab, Université de
Copernic, Association Giovanni Secco Suardo, Ricerca et Cooperazione, City
of Lyon,
Communauté urbaine du Grand Lyon, City of Porto-Novo,
Coordination: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain - EPA
Financing: Projet Culture 2000
C – School-building
site for the rehabilitation
of the Migan building "Maison
du patrimoine et du tourisme de Porto-Novo"
 |
| Rehabilitation of the House of Heritage |
Context: The town council of Porto-Novo asked EPA to supervise its
programme of rehabilitation and enhancement of the city's immovable heritage.
This programme has three main aspects: the drawing up of a legal and
economic model for the rehabilitation
of the town's old private buildings, the setting up of a municipal structure
for the management of heritage and tourism, and the carrying out of a pilot
operation consisting in a school-building site
to launch the rehabilitation process.
Objectives: Mobilise and transmit local know-hows in
traditional materials and building techniques to pupils of professional
and technical schools, workmen and artisans from different specialties
in the building trade participating in the operation.
Draw up a reference document with all the specific activities for the
rehabilitation of Porto-Novo's immovable heritage, and the list of associated
skills.
Target: Workmen - Members of a trade guild
- Pupils of technical schools – Master artisans.
Approach and organisation:
- Elaboration of a draft reference document listing specific activities and
skills necessary for the rehabilitation of old buildings of Porto-Novo.
- Identification of different trades and choice of the master artisans specialised
in rehabilitation work and other facilitators. Organisation of seven workshops
each directed by a master artisan of the corresponding specialty backed by
a supervisor, a civil engineer, a person in charge of administrative
and financial matters and a director of operations.
- Creation of "heritage workman or artisan" certifications.
Dates: 29 May - 31 August
Place: Porto-Novo (Benin)
Conception, follow up and supervision: Ecole du Patrimoine
Africain - EPA
Client: Porto-Novo town council.
Financing: Villes Unies contre la pauvreté, City of Lyon
and Le Grand Lyon, Culture 2000, Porto-Novo town council.
D – Journée
Cesare Brandi : Restitution workshop on the rehabilitation school-building
site of the Maison du patrimoine et du tourisme
Context: The Migan building was rehabilitated to house the Maison
du patrimoine et du tourisme (House of Heritage and Tourism) of Porto-Novo.
This makes it one of the realisations of the conclusions and recommendations
of the Study for the rehabilitation of Porto-Novo's historic heritage, carried
out from September 2001 to April 2003.
This day was dedicated to Cesare
Brandi (1906 – 1988), philosopher, Italian art historian and critic,
whose work was fundamental for heritage preservation and conservation.
Target: About 40 participants, including Senator and Deputy Mayor
of Chinon, Yves Dauge and the Deputy Mayor of Lyon, Patrice Béghain.
Objectives: Considering that the colonial architecture of African
towns is a joint heritage of Europe and Africa:
- Give a feedback and close the activities of the "Culture
2000" project, particularly the rehabilitation of the Migan building
into the Maison du patrimoine et du tourisme of Porto-Novo;
- Present the results of the inventory of Lubumbashi and the safeguarding
and enhancement programme of the historic centre of
Porto-Novo;
- Put into perspective and analyse the modalities for the management of the
cultural heritage of a city for its local development;
- Identify future programmes;
- Officially inaugurate the building.
Content: Communications, debates, official receipt of the building
Date: 21 September
Place: EPA, Porto-Novo
Coordination: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain - EPA
Financing: Porto-Novo town council, Communauté urbaine
de Grand Lyon, Culture 2000, Villes Unies contre la pauvreté, EPA.
E - Launch and follow up of the building of the multi-purpose
room at EPA.
F - Evaluation mission at Sainte
Anne
Context: The Sainte Anne mission, whose church was conceived
and built by Gustave Eiffel in 1887, is a coherent architectural
ensemble with the church and the mission buildings, on the edge of
the Fernan Vaz lagoon.
Place: Sainte Anne, Odimba, Gabon
Objectives: assess the state of the site as potential cultural heritage
site of Gabon,
with particular attention on its physical and architectural dimension, and
to its historic and cultural importance. Make suggestions for the setting up
of conservation, safeguarding and enhancement measures for the site.
Date: 24 - 28 September
Financing: Libreville UNESCO cluster office.
Main partners in 2007: Villes de Porto-Novo et de Lyon,
Convention France–Unesco, Partenariat pour le développement
municipal (PDM), CPM, ONG Hope for Africa, Projet Culture 2000, FSP Musée-Coopération
française, Agence de coopération espagnole, INHA – Université de
Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, MAEE, Chaire UNESCO en patrimoine culturel
de l’Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
2007 ACTIVITIES
III. Publishing Department
 ICT:- Maintenance of the EPA web site.
- Maintenance of the Africa
2009 Programme web site.
- Maintenance of the Abomey Museum web site.
- 4 issues of the EPA Newsletter,
published quarterly
Publications:- Mock up of the Cahiers du Patrimoine
Translations, design :
- Translation into English and revising of documents
produced by other departments, mainly the Special Projects Department
(Msd).
- Design of some Msd documents.
2007 ACTIVITIES
IV . Partnership activities
Welcoming of interns and researchers
• Daniel Hounkpevi (Benin), student in urban planning.
Research on projects carried out by the Landscapes and
Heritage Department for the city of Porto-Novo, on projects in progress
and their perspectives.
• Bibata Tiendrébéogo and Rasmata
Kaboré (Burkina
Faso), guides
at the National Museum of Burkina Faso. Followed an internship on end of year
pedagogic activities at the Jardin des Plantes et de la Nature - JPN.
V. International meetings |
Gérard Tognimassou: 8th Africa 2009 Regional course evaluation
meeting and preparation
of the 9th. Mombasa, Kenya, 19 - 23 February
2007.
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Alain Godonou: 15ème édition des Entretiens du
Patrimoine "Patrimoines
de l'Europe, patrimoine européen". Intervention dans la
table ronde "le patrimoine au regard de l'Autre". Paris,
France, 19 - 21 March 2007. |
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Alain Godonou: colloquium "Dialogue on Cultural Heritage
in Sustainable Development", World Bank, . Washington, USA,
16 April 2007.
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Victoire Adégbidi: "Architecture Coloniale, une
identité à partager" workshop organised by
the Réseau
Cooparch-R.U in the framework of the European Programme "Culture
2000".
Lubumbashi, DRC, 9 - 15 May 2007.
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Alain Godonou: evaluation meeting of the Nordic World Heritage Foundation
(NWHF) projects. Oslo, Norway,
21 - 25 May 2007.
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Gérard Tognimassou: 22nd session of the Africa 2009 Programme's
steering committee. Kampala, Uganda, 22 - 25 May
2007.
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Alain Godonou: International colloquium dedicated to the centenary of
Cesare Brandi (1906-1988) organised by the
Cesare Brandi Association. Rome, Italy, 30 May-1st June 2007.
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Félicité Houngbo: 6th Pan-African Music Festival (FESPAM),
with a presentation of the Académie des Fées programme
of EPA. Pointe Noire, Congo, 7 - 14 July 2007.
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Ismailou Baldé: regional workshop "Méthodologie
de recherche et rédaction scientifique" organised by the
Educational Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA). Abidjan, Côte
d'Ivoire, 9 - 12 July 2007.
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Gérard Tognimassou & Victoire Adégbidi: "Patrimoine
culturel et développement local" workshop organised
in the context of the France-Unesco Convention. Paris, France, 3 - 5 September
2007. |
Alain Godonou: Forum Privatisation et patrimoine culturel. President
of the panel "Partenariats / coopération dans la gestion du
patrimoine culturel pour un développement durable : critères
et perspectives".
Catania, Italy, 13 - 15 September. |
Victoire Adegbidi: UNESCO international conference " Cidade
Velha : le futur du passé ", with a presentation on the
UNESCO' s Slave Route project. Ribeira Grande de Santiago,
Cape
Verde, 2 - 5 October 2007. |
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Gérard Tognimassou: 9th Africa
2009 Seminar for Directors at CHDA. Mombasa, Kenya, 8 - 13 October
2007.
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Gérard Tognimassou: 8th Africa 2009 thematic seminar, "Communication
and conservation of immovable cultural heritage sites".
Nouakchott, Mauritania, 22 - 26 October 2007.
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Ismaïlou Baldé: national cultural heritage week "Habiter
au Mali : enjeux et perspectives de l'architecture de terre". Bamako,
Mali, 22 - 25 October 2007.
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Alain Godonou & Victoire Adégbidi: Pluridisciplinary study
day of the Réseau patrimoine et développement on
the Rehabilitation of the cultural heritage of Porto-Novo. Institut national
d'histoire de l'art (INHA), Paris, France, 27 October 2007.
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Victoire Adégbidi: colloquium "Journalisme et patrimoine
mondial" with a presentation on African heritage in danger.
Luxembourg, 10 - 17 November 2007.
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Anne Avaro: OCIM (Office de Coopération et d'Informations Muséographiques)
conference, "Sites
Internet : quelles ressources pour les visiteurs ?" with a presentation
on the African audiences of web sites developped by EPA. Paris, France,
21 - 22 November 2007.
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Gérard Tognimassou: consultative meeting on the Programme
sur l'Architecture de terre of the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO.
Paris, France, 22 November 2007.
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Gérard Tognimassou: 24th meeting of the Africa 2009 Programme
steering committee. Antananarivo, Madagascar, 6 -
9 December 2007.
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Alain Godonou: second meeting of the Urban governance task group "Appui
aux politiques de réhabilitation
et de valorisation des centres urbains anciens", with a presentation
on Old Accra in Ghana and Old Porto-Novo
in Benin. Paris, France, 6 December 2007.
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Fakambi Bankolé: "African Perspectives" meeting organised
by ArchiAfrika in collaboration with the University of Technology
of Delft. Delft, Netherlands, 6 - 8 December 2007.
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They visited us
All our thanks to our funding, institutional and technical partners
for their support in 2007:
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
Africa 2009 Programme
Cities of Lyon and Grand
Lyon
City of Porto-Novo
Hope for Africa
Musée national
des
Arts et Traditions
du Gabon
Musée
national du Burkina Faso
Musée du Quai Branly
Partenariat pour le développement
municipal
(PDM)
Projet Culture 2000
University
of Abomey-Calavi
University of Provence-Aix
Marseille 1
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