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6th Africa 2009 Regional Course on the Conservation and Management of
Immovable Cultural Heritage of sub-Saharan Africa

2004: International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition

Dates: August 30 - November 19, 2004

Location: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain, Porto-Novo, Benin

Organisers:

• Africa 2009 Programme
  
• Cultural Heritage Directorate of Benin
  
• Ecole du Patrimoine Africain

General background of the AFRICA 2009 Programme:
The long term objective of the Africa 2009 Programme, launched in 1998 in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), is to increase the competences of sub-Saharan African countries, in the management and conservation of immovable cultural heritage, with a better integration within sustainable development. The programme has just finished its pilot phase and is now starting its consolidation phase scheduled until 2005. In addition to the regional courses, the thematic seminars, the research projects, the publication of a newsletter, conservation work, the setting up of a network of professionals, new activities have been launched: working groups on specific subjects, organization of national seminars, strong participation of African professionals as specialists, international exchanges and internships, technical courses which were launched in 2003. The programme is organized with the financial support of SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency), NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation), World Heritage Fund, ICCROM, and finally of the Italian and Finnish Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Course objectives:
The goal of the course is to gather African professionals working in the sector of cultural heritage and to sensitize them to the most important aspects related to the planning and the management of conservation activities in sub-Saharan Africa. This course also aims at improving the knowledge of the problems and the challenges met when carrying out conservation activities in a purely African context.

Contents:
The course, which lasts 12 weeks, combines theory and practice. It is divided into 3 main topics:

1. four weeks on the African immovable cultural heritage and its environment;
2. around a practical exercise of 7 weeks on three sites - the Slave Route and the forest of Kpassè in Ouidah and the Yênouzoun forest in Savi, the question of the planning of the management of sites will be treated;
3. the last week of the course, the directors and the persons in charge of the institutions from which the participants originate, will be invited to take part in a seminar. The main objective of this seminar will be to inform them on the work completed by their collaborators. It will also enable African professionals in charge of cultural heritage and academics to discuss the Slave Trade and the sites which are linked to it.

Participants:
19 high level professionals (architects, town planners, archaeologists, historians) from heritage institutions from 15 French-speaking African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo). The majority of them are in charge of the management and the conservation of a region or an important site in their respective countries.

Coordination:

General coordination:
Joseph KING (ICCROM)
Alain Godonou (EPA)
Thierry JOFFROY (CRATerre-EAG)
Micheline Egounlety (DPC)

Course coordinators:
Webber NDORO (ICCROM)
Bakonirina RAKOTOMAMONJY (CRATerre-EAG)
Baba KEITA (EPA)
Noëlie MIKPONHOUE (DPC)

Course assistant:
Klessigué SANOGO

Contact:
BP 2205, Porto-Novo, BENIN
Tel: (229) 21 48 38
Fax : (229) 21 21 09
e-mail : /

AFRICA 2009 was initiated by ICCROM, the World Heritage Center of UNESCO, CRATerre-EAG and African institutions in charge of cultural heritage .