AFRICA 2009 8th Regional Course on ‘Conservation and Management of Immovable Cultural Heritage’ began on 4 September in the presence of the Benin Cultural Heritage Director, representatives of the Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA), ICCROM, and heritage resource persons in Porto Novo.

Seventeen heritage professionals from thirteen Sub Saharan African countries are participating.  They will be reflecting on immovable cultural heritage planning and management issues as well as enhancing their knowledge of  the challenges of developing conservation activities in Africa. Training activities will include the development of management plans for the Singbodji square and the Royal Palace of Abomey, a World Heritage Site, in particular the courtyard of the Amazons and the Agbodo (the moat). The last week of the course will include a seminar entitled ‘Links between Tangible and Intangible Heritage’ for cultural heritage directors in Francophone Sub Saharan Africa. 

The course is being coordinated by EPA, in collaboration with the Benin Cultural Heritage Direction, CRATerre-ENSAG and ICCROM. Funding has been provided by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the National Heritage Board of Sweden, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Center, and ICCROM.

Participants

• Dossou Mathias ADJOVI, Benin
• Jaffar Abbas ANOUAR, Comores
• Aissata Diakité BAKAYOKO, Mali
• Zoumana BAMBA, Mali
• Christophe BANZUBAZE, Burundi 
• Cocou Bertin-Calixte BIAH, Benin
• Aminata DIARRA, Senegal
• Joel GONDOGAI, Central African Republic
• Ould Mohamed El Moctar MAHFOUDH, Mauritania
• Terna MARA, Guinea
• André Kulengula MBANGY, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Aminata NDOYE, Senegal
• Gaspard NGOMA, Congo
• Louis Marie PANDZOU, Congo
• Marius Marie Arsène RAKOTOMALALA, Madagascar 
• Lassina SIMPORE, Burkina Faso
• Koffi TIZIE BI, Côte d’Ivoire

Member States represented: Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal

updated on: 24 November, 2007