P Jordan: Underwater Cultural Heritage

20 April 2009

Thank you Mr Wakashe
I greet you all this fine morning
I greet in particular the delegates from the SADC region, as well our guests
from the Netherlands and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO).

I welcome you all to this groundbreaking conference on underwater cultural
heritage. May your stay in our country be as pleasant as it is fruitful. It is
most fitting that this meeting is held in this historic city, Cape Town. Cape
Town is one South African city whose beauty has been remarked on. Some South
Africans refer to it as the mother city. Most of you will recall that this city
grew up around this Castle after the arrival of the Dutch in 1652. The Dutch
settled here to set a refreshment station for ships en route to the East. Cape
Town has great symbolic meaning for all South Africans.

To South Africans of European origin it symbolises the arrival of their
ancestors. To many South Africans who trace their ancestry to Malaysia,
Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Madagascar, etc, it represents the
disembarkation point of a painful process of enslavement. To the majority of
indigenous Africans, Cape Town marks the inception of colonisation, conquest,
colonialism and Apartheid. We are still wrestling with that legacy which shaped
much of the South African experience.

This contradictory view of Cape Town is further attested to by names such as
“Cape of Storms” and “Cape of Good Hope”. Southern African history is full of
vivid accounts of how the Southern African seas shores wrecked many ships and
boats. Many people lost heir lives along the South African coast. This
tumultuous period marked the beginning of the current UCH. It also contributed
immensely to South African culture. These events significantly contributed to
South Africa’s cultural diversity. Cape Town’s contribution to South African
culture is therefore invaluable. It also marks the opening up of South Africa
to the rest of the world.

I am mentioning all these because you cannot talk about South African
underwater cultural heritage without Cape Town or the two oceans that converge
here.

Historical records state that there are over 2500 shipwrecks along the South
African coastline. Their countries of origin include the Netherlands, England,
Portugal and Spain, to name but a few. These are the seafaring nations of
Europe who set out to build trans-oceanic empires after the European
renaissance. Some ten years, a former British naval officer, Menzies, published
a book titled “1412, the Year China Discovered America,” which an account of
the voyages of the Chinese Admiral, Zheng, According to Menzies’ research,
Zheng circumnavigated the earth decades before Magellan. He had sailed across
the Indian Ocean, around the Cape into the Atlantic. Then Across the Atlantic
to the Americas, to return, through the straits of Magellan, to China. This
indicates that there was trade and contact between the peoples of Asia and
those of southern Africa long before the Europeans arrived here. A paper
discussing such contacts will be delivered at this workshop.

There are probably wrecks for crafts testifying to such contact along the
African coast as well. Shipwrecks are not only found here in South Africa, they
are all over the African coastline. Recently, a shipwreck was found off the
Namibian coast. Others have been identified in Mozambique, Madagascar, and
Tanzania etc. Some of these shipwrecks contain invaluable information and
artifacts. The Mozambican straits, separating Madagascar from the mainland,
during the 17th and 18th centuries were the playground of pirates, operating
from the Madagascan coast, who would lie in wait for treasure-laden ships from
the Indies sailing to Europe. There are probably many wrecks that came about
like that too.

In terms of both our national legislation and the 2001 UNESCO Convention on
Underwater Cultural Heritage, underwater cultural heritage means all traces of
human existence that have a cultural, historical or archaeological character
which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously,
for at least 100 years. This includes shipwrecks and a number of marine
archaeological sites such as fish-traps and shell middens. South Africa,
through the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act 25 of 1999) already
provides blanket protection in Section 2(2) for all wrecks, being any vessel or
aircraft, or any part thereof, which was wrecked in South Africa, whether on
land, in the internal waters, the territorial waters or in the maritime culture
zone of the Republic, as defined respectively in sections 3, 4 and 6 of the
Maritime Zones Act, 1994 (Act 15 of 1994), and any cargo, debris or artifacts
found or associated therewith, which is older than 60 years or which the South
African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) considers to be worthy of
conservation.

In addition to wrecks, South Africa has a number of marine archaeological
sites such as fish traps and shell middens. Ancient populations used to build
fish traps, the remains of which have survived until today. The fish traps of
the Indigenous Khoikhoi and San communities in the South West coast and those
of the Tembe-Thonga communities in KwaZulu’s Kosi Bay are worth noting.

Whilst we have some sense of how many ships were wrecked along our shores,
these are in many respects an approximation of what lies beneath our oceans.
The most challenging thing though is that apart from a number of famous ships
such as the Bredorole, the Grosvenor, the Birkenhead, the Darrington and
others, nothing is known about many of these wrecks. Yet, a lot can be learned
not only about their contents and destinations, but circumstances surrounding
their sinking. The Birkenhead was a British steamer which sailed from
Simonstown to the Eastern Cape during the Frontier of 1850 to 1853. It was
wrecked near Dangerpoint, close to Cape Augalhas. It is said that when she
struck a reef and sunk off our coast in 1852, the captain ordered that women
and children be prioritised into the life boats. The soldiers helped women and
children endangering their own lives. Around 500 of these soldiers perished in
this accident.

This selfness effort received lots of attention and acclaim around the
world. Some believe that the concept of children and women first in emergency
situations began here. These are some of the stories that remained buried in
our oceans. There are probably many other stories and tales of courage.
Equally, there are also tales of scandalous chicanery, treachery and vile deeds
to be told as well. We need to uncover all of these stories of courage and
bravery and those of infamy. As I said, off our southern African coast was the
ambush point for pirates, not know for either courage or bravery. They have a
lot to teach us not only about these ship wrecks, but the value and importance
of oceans and the contribution that these universal assets make to our
lives.

Africa is said to be lagging in producing knowledge, yet we sit with a lot
of raw material for knowledge production. This at a time when people are
talking about knowledge economies and knowledge as an important factor in
competitiveness. Even more discouraging though is the absence of maritime
studies at most of our tertiary institutions. The discontinuation of maritime
courses mean that research outputs in these areas is small if not non existent.
It is perhaps understandable that individual countries might not have resources
to drive these programmes.

It is however short-sighted when the whole region does not produce any
research. Given the length of the Southern African coastline this situation
cannot be allowed to continue. And, let us remember this is a coastline that
includes the west coast from Congo, around the Cape, takes in those of
Madagascar, the Seychelles and Mauritius. It is my wish that from today on, the
whole Southern African region not only at government level, but at other levels
such as universities and non government organisations (NGO) begin serious
partnerships on issues related to underwater cultural heritage.

Despite the association of some aspects of UCH with the painful memory of
slavery and colonialism, this does not render it valueless as it completes the
picture about the history of humanity. It can, for instance, reveal gaps if
some aspects of history that are not yet known or that have not been accounted
for in written records or oral tradition. In the final analysis, UCH is a very
important non-renewable resource that is of national, international, cultural
and archaeological significance. It must be carefully managed to ensure its
continued existence. UCH provides us with earlier information on globalisation
trade, slavery, colonial expansion and movement of people through
centuries.

It is heartening that the 2001 UCH Convention has finally come into force in
January 2009. It is fitting that your meeting comes in the wake of the first
meeting of States parties to the 2001 UCH Convention in Paris on 26 to 27 March
2009. Hopefully, further meetings of states parties will lead to the
development of programmes on underwater cultural heritage targeting developing
countries. UNESCO’s adoption of the UCH Convention was in way an affirmation of
UCH as an integral part of the cultural heritage of humanity.

For this convention to be implemented successfully there is a need for
collaboration between the countries of the North and those of the South. It is
appropriate that the convention emphasises the need for co-operation among
States, international organisations, scientific institutions, professional
organisations, archaeologists, divers, other interested parties and the public
at large on issues of UCH. The convention’s emphasis on bilateral and
multilateral agreements, particularly states with verifiable or cultural links
provide us as SADC an opportunity to extend current bilateral agreements with
countries of the North to include cooperation on underwater heritage. However,
we need to be cautious that these agreements do not perpetuate unequal
exploitative power relations between the North and the South.

It is therefore commendable that we met here as Southern African countries.
This should be the beginning of a new chapter of collaboration around these
issues. It is my wish that once we ratify the Convention, for those of us that
have not yet ratified, we will continue working together at UNESCO and other
multilateral forums on UCH.

Underwater Cultural Heritage has potential to contribute positively to
coastal communities. Elsewhere, viable tourism industries have been created
around UCH. We too must explore avenues in our individual countries on how this
can be encouraged and supported on a sustainable basis. We know that law
enforcement remains a challenge. Pillaging of UCH remains a serious problem,
especially with the advent of new technologies that have increased access to
UCH. A multi-pronged approach is therefore needed. Coastal communities and
maritime authorities need to form an integral part of a strategy to prevent
pillaging. The recent events in Gulf of Aden remind us that the world is
integrated in many respects. Piracy has returned to the Indian Ocean, many of
the pirates operating from the ports of the failed state of Somalia. Lack of
rules and law enforcement in one country can easily translate into serious
security threat for others.

The Department of Arts and Culture will therefore continue working with our
colleagues at Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the navy and customs
authorities to protect underwater cultural heritage. The department is about to
complete a national policy on Underwater Cultural Heritage. We are also working
on stand alone legislation on UCH. Currently, UCH is covered by the National
Heritage Resources Act, but new challenges that face the sector have
necessitated stand alone legislation for us to address the many challenges and
loop holes. We are optimistic that both policy and legislation will lead to a
harmonised and integrated approach to protection and preservation of this
heritage.

We are particularly grateful to UNESCO for co-hosting this workshop with us.
It is our wish that this is a beginning of a long term relationship, not only
with South Africa but the whole sub region. In conclusion, I want to state that
South Africa will be working towards ensuring that Underwater Cultural Heritage
issues are taken up at our regional and continental bodies such as SADC and the
African Union.

I want to commend you all on this workshop, which I am certain, will
contribute greatly to our knowledge of the Underwater Cultural Heritage of our
region.

Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
20 April 2009