Africa will celebrate the recent hard earned addition of five heritage sites on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List. This is the largest number ever in the history of UNESCO to inscribe so many sites for Africa in one sitting of the World Heritage Committee. This celebration will take place on 24 November 2011 at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) in Midrand (Gauteng) from 18h00.
The Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, together with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) will host heritage practitioners and business people who have contributed to the success and welcome new role players of the AWHF.
The guests who will share their experience of their association with heritage matters of Africa will include: Dr Paul Kibuuka, Managing Director of the DBSA Development Fund, Mr Themba Wakashe, outgoing Chairperson of the AWHF Board of Trustees, Amb Dr Ali Yousif Ahmed Alsharif, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan, Mrs Kris Endresen, Director of the Nordic World Heritage Foundation, Advocate Sonwabile Mancotywa, CEO of the National Heritage Council and Mr John Wallington, Coal of Africa, Mr Lazare Eloundou, Chief of the Africa Unit, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
“The African continent is still underrepresented on the World Heritage List, and we must partner to enable and encourage African countries to put forward more of their places of Outstanding Universal Value for nomination publications”, says Minister Mashatile in one of the AWHF publications.
Media is welcome to attend.
The AWHF was launched in 2006 in South Africa and has since implemented a wide range of programmes and activities on the whole African continent, directed at increasing the number and improving the state of conservation of cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. The Department of Arts and Culture is the custodian of the AWHF mandated by South Africa which is hosting the fund on behalf of Africa.
South Africa along with other countries from Africa and the rest of the world has contributed to the African World Heritage Endowment Fund and is supporting the AWHF’s programmes and operations.
Enquiries:
Inge Herbert
Tel: 011 256 3551
Cell: 076 022 0039
E-mail: IngeH@awhf.net
