Tag Archives: HerMaP Gambia
Gambian Parliamentary Study Tour with HERITΛGE
In the framework of the EU-funded programme HerMap Gambia, HERITΛGE was honoured to host the Select Committee on Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports of the National Assembly of the Gambia during a study tour to Greece that took place on 29th July – 4th August. The delegation was headed by the Honourable Seedy SK Njie, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia and also included officials from the Gambia Tourist Board.
The purpose of the tour for the Honourable Members of the Parliament was to be guided through the Greek cultural and natural landscape and be presented with good practices and policies that helped the country develop its tourism and cultural industries, based on its heritage. Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, hosting over 30 million tourists each year. Its cultural and natural heritage has always been an important component of its cultural and tourist industries and has become even more so in the last three decades with the country diversifying away from the sea-and-sun model to address the challenges posed by climate change, overtourism, and calls for sustainable development.
“The visit to Greece was a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance The Gambia’s tourism and heritage sectors,” the Committee said in a statement. “We are committed to leveraging the insights and connections made during this study tour to forge a successful bilateral cooperation with Greece. This collaboration will pave the way for comprehensive development, ensuring that The Gambia’s heritage sites and natural assets are preserved and promoted for future generations.”
HERITΛGE Director Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis said: “At HERITΛGE we are particularly proud to have been able to collaborate with the Select Committee on Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports of the National Assembly of the Gambia for this impactful tour that included training and benchmarking in the fields of heritage and heritage-based tourism. The study tour is one of the actions delivered by the EU-funded HerMaP Gambia program and has strengthened our cooperation with the Honourable Members with the aim of advancing the heritage and tourism sectors in The Gambia.”
During its week-long stay, the delegation realized a number of benchmarking visits to important heritage sites including the Museum of the Royal Tombs Aigai, the Polycentric Museum of Aigai, the White Tower, the Rotunda Monument, the Heptapyrgion fortress, and the Allied Military Cemetery and Memorial in Thessaloniki, the Metohi of the Agios Panteleimonas Monastery in Flogita with its newly created Centre of Byzantine Civilization and Exhibition on the Greek Revolution in Halkidiki, and the site of the Ancient City of Olynthos.
Cultural professional and Managing Director of SYMVOLI Conference & Cultural Management, Vicky Papadimitriou, introduced the delegation to the structure of the Greek cultural and tourism industries, giving an overview of the successes and challenges they have faced in the past century. The former Deputy Mayor of Thessaloniki, Spyros Pegkas, addressed the Delegation and presented how the City’s strategy to attract visitors and grow its economy was created around its multi-cultural past and rich cultural heritage in the early 2010’s. Dr. Prodromos Monastiridis, President of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau presented the city’s strategy to attract visitors in a professional capacity. Sylvia Koumedaki, Co-founder and General Manager of Chef Stories, a marketing and consulting agency focusing on traditional gastronomy and tourism, gave the honourable members an overview of how food and agricultural heritage served as building blocks not just of community identity and preservation efforts, but also of efforts to attract visitors to the regions of Thessaloniki and Halkidiki and grow exports.
Archaeologist and museologist Yiannis Karliabas of the Thessaloniki Ephorate of Antiquities, talked to the delegation about history and oral history narratives and the opportunities and challenges faced by the team of heritage professionals working with Heptapyrgion, a monument with a long and often complicated history. Following the benchmarking visits the delegation had the opportunity to discuss with Archaeologists and Tour Guide Konstantinos Papastathis from the Ministry of Culture, Archaeologist and Tour Guide Tasos Papadopoulos, and Archaeologist, Museologist, and Tour Guide Georgios Adamidis. The delegation also held a discussion and explored wider opportunities for cooperation with Perrotis College and American Farm School President, Dr. Jeff Lansdale following a tour of their extensive facilities.
Finally, the delegation had the opportunity to attend a Heritage Management workshop delivered by Dr. Anastasia Sakellariadi.
Heritage Management and Team Development Training in the Gambia
Twenty National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) heritage managers attended an Introduction to Heritage Management and Team Development training delivered on June 25th. The training was designed and delivered as part of the HerMaP program, which is co-funded by the European Union. HerMaP Gambia strongly supports gender equality and youth engagement by fostering an enabling environment through capacity development initiatives.
The training was delivered to both new and existing NCAC staff with the aim of enhancing their knowledge of heritage management and efficiently integrating new members into established teams, while supporting the NCAC’s mandate to ensure equitable gender representation at the UNESCO World Heritage Sites it oversees.
HERITΛGE Director, Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis, delivered the Introduction to Heritage Management training while Mamat Sallah, Assistant Director of Museums and Monuments at NCAC introduced trainees to the Mission, Vision, Mandates and Scheme of Service of NCAC.
Mina Morou and Eirini Oikonomidi, HerMaP Gambia Project Manager and Assistant Project Manager respectively, introduced trainees to team integration.
The module introducing trainees to heritage management aims to introduce the concepts of heritage and differentiate between tangible and intangible heritage, review the historical reasons for heritage categories and train participants in value-based management principles. The trainees lean how intangible heritage knowledge can inform effective heritage management strategy, to identify the role of heritage managers in the Gambia and recognize the importance and benefits of engaging with local communities.
During the training, participants gained valuable insights into team integration, including an introduction to team development and the role of culture in shaping effective teams. They learned to balance team and individual dynamics while understanding the critical role of psychological safety. In addition, they gained skills to identify and address common team development challenges, enhancing their ability to foster a cohesive and productive team environment.
Find out more about HerMaP Gambia here.
2023- 2024: Our academic year in review
On Saturday, June 30th, the HERITΛGE team wrapped up the 2023-2024 academic year with an event on the Greek island of Paros island to mark the end of our Community Engagement for Cultural Heritage Summer Field School. The event was the culmination of possibly the most successful academic year since the organization was founded 15 years ago.
During the last 12 months, HERITΛGE completed 40 training activities that included online and in-person workshops, two hybrid summer schools, and an academic Certificate program bearing ECTS credits, delivered in cooperation with HOGENT University in Belgium. Over 650 heritage managers and caretakers were trained in managing heritage assets, independent of project specifics.
We expanded our curriculum with a new conservation course, First Aid for Finds. The 3-day online workshop complements the Introduction to the General Principles of Cultural Heritage Conservation workshop we introduced in the academic year 2022-2023. In the past year, we also ran two successful pilot programs in Interpreting Heritage and Engaging Communities for Climate Change and in Community and Economic Development, focusing on community-based tourism. Both will form part of our 2024-2025 academic year training offerings.
We also expanded our partnership with the Mellon Foundation through our HerMaP Africa program, funded by the Foundation’s Humanities in Place initiative. Through HerMaP Africa we have already awarded 60 grants and 60 fellowships to heritage organizations and professionals across Africa. Through HerMaP Gambia, a program co-funded by the European Union, we continued to work to strengthen The Gambia’s heritage sector in order to contribute to the creation of more and better jobs for the country.
Thanks to the British Council, our project in Pakistan on the protection of Buddhist rock carvings in Swat (in partnership with the Italian Mission and EssaNoor Associates) has gotten off the ground. Our J.M. Kaplan Fund work in Iraq has been completed and so has our Creative Europe project in Ukraine, training heritage managers in digital storytelling for Ukrainian Museums – together with Ukrainian partners. Our cooperation with Aliph and local partners enabled us to contribute to the efforts to safeguard local heritage in the aftermath of last year’s catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. This academic year we also helped create the Living Heritage Network which aims to bring together and empower all organizations and individuals working with Greek living heritage.
Meanwhile, we continued working with some of Europe’s best-known academic and research institutions as well as heritage organizations and private businesses to make cultural heritage more accessible and inclusive through SHIFT, a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.
Finally, earlier in 2024 we started working on AHEAD, another Creative Europe program, this time aiming to strengthen European cultural heritage institutions’ audience development efforts.
These are most but by no means all the projects our team is working on, all the while expanding HERITΛGE’s impact and outreach efforts. Stay tuned for more!
The significance of Kunta Kinteh island and related sites
Martijn Russchen from Nederland, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
By Ebrima Jammeh*
The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, with a population of about 2 million people. It is often referred to as the smiling coast of Africa due to the friendly nature of its people. It is surrounded on all three sides by Senegal (North, South, and East) except the West, which is occupied by the Atlantic Ocean, and is divided into two halves (North and South) by the River Gambia (a freshwater river).
Having gained independence from the British in 1965, it became a Republic in 1970 under the Leadership of President Dawda Kairaba Jawara.
Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites: Outstanding Universal Value
Kunta Kinteh Island, formerly known as James Island, and its related sites, are a testimony to the encounter between Africa and Europe along the River Gambia, a period stretching from pre-colonial and pre-slavery times to independence. The site is particularly significant for its relation to both the beginning of the slave trade and its abolition and also documents early access to the interior of Africa.
Kunta Kinteh is a small island in the Gambia River which flows out into the Atlantic Ocean. The island’s location made it a strategic place to control the waterway. Visited by explorers and merchants in their search for a sea route to India, it became one of the first cultural exchange zones between Africa and Europe. By 1456 the Island had been acquired by Portugal from local rulers and the construction of a fort began. Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites form an exceptional testimony to the different facets and phases of the African-European encounter, from the 15th to the 19th centuries. The River Gambia was particularly important forming the first trade route to the inland of Africa. The site was already a contact point with Arabs and Phoenicians before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century. The region forms a cultural landscape, where the historic elements are retained in their cultural and natural context. The properties illustrate all the main periods and facets of the various stages of the African-European encounter from its earliest moments in the 15th Century through the independence period.
The main focus of the Kunta Kinteh Island site was the control of the hinterland and its riches rather than control of the coast and the trade that passed along it.
The specific location of Kunta Kinteh Island and its Related Sites, at the mouth of the Gambia River, is a tangible reminder of the story of the development of the Gambia River as one of the most important waterways for trade of all kinds from the interior to the Coast and beyond. The specific, important role of the site in the slave trade, both in its propagation and its conclusion, makes Kunta Kinteh Island and its Related Sites an outstanding memory of this important, although painful, period of human history.
The property includes Kunta Kinteh Island Fort and a series of sites associated with the early European occupation of the African continent. The ensemble has seven separate locations: the whole of Kunta Kinteh Island, the remains of a Portuguese Chapeland of a colonial warehouse (CFAO Building) in the village of Albreda, the Maurel Frères Building in the village of Juffureh, the remains of the small Portuguese settlement of San Domingo, as well as Fort Bullen and the Six-Gun Battery. Fort Bullen and the Six-Gun Battery are at the mouth of the Gambia River, whilst Kunta Kinteh Island and the other sites are some 30 km upstream.
The development of Kunta Kinteh Island differed greatly from that of the many other forts, castles, and trading posts found in other parts of West Africa in that the main focus of the Kunta Kinteh Island site was the control of the hinterland and its riches rather than control of the coast and the trade that passed along it.
The Six-Gun Battery (1816) and Fort Bullen (1826), located on both sides of the mouth of the River Gambia came much later than Kunta Kinteh Island and were built with the specific intent of thwarting the trade in slaves once it had become illegal in the British Empire after the passing of the Abolition Act in 1807. They are the only known defensive structures in the region to have been built specifically to stop slaving interests. The other fortifications of the region (including Kunta Kinteh Island), were constructed as a means of enhancing and controlling the trade in slaves (and commodities) rather than stopping it. These two military positions allowed the British to take full control of the River Gambia, eventually paving the way for the establishment of the colonial government, a period well-illustrated by many colonial buildings in Banjul and the Governor’s Rest House at Fort Bullen. Finally, Fort Bullen shows evidence of its re-use during the Second World War (1939-1945) as a strategic observatory and artillery post. This later period illustrates yet another European rivalry that spread to the African continent.
The Six-Gun Battery (1816) and Fort Bullen are the only known defensive structures in the region to have been built specifically to stop slaving interests.
Site Significance
Criterion (iii): Kunta Kinteh Island and related sites on the River Gambia provide an exceptional testimony to the different facets of the African-European encounter, from the 15th to 20th centuries. The river formed the first trade route to the inland of Africa, being also related to the slave trade.
Criterion (vi): Kunta Kinteh Island and related sites, the villages, remains of European settlements, the forts and the batteries were directly and tangibly associated with the beginning and the conclusion of the slave trade, retaining its memory related to the African Diaspora.
Integrity: The six parts of the serial nomination together present a testimony to the main periods and facets of the Afro-European encounter along the River Gambia, a continuum that stretched from pre-colonial and pre-slavery times to the period of independence and in particular to the beginning and the abolition of the slave trade, as well as documenting the functions of the early access route to the inland of Africa. The six sites encompass all the key remains.
All the sites except the CFAO and Maurel Frères Buildings are ruins. The CFAO Building has been restored and provided with adequate sea defense. The Maurel Frères Building was restored in 1996 and is in a good state of conservation. The Portuguese chapel and San Domingo are in a state of ruins, but these have been stabilized, with the most endangered parts reinforced in 2000.
The isolated position of Kunta Kinteh Island in the river has conserved its setting to the present day. Fort Bullen is also bordered by the river on one side and a large open tract of land on the other, naturally serving as a buffer zone and helping to preserve its setting. It is in a relatively good state of conservation, though the wall on the seaward side is suffering from sea erosion. Parts have collapsed and 20 metres were rebuilt in 2000. The Six-Gun Battery is in a good state of conservation. The ruined sites need ongoing maintenance if they are not to deteriorate over time.
Authenticity: Kunta Kinteh Island Fort was subjected to destruction on numerous occasions. Since the last time by the French, in 1779, it has remained a ruin with only minor attempts at consolidation and minimizing the effects of sea erosion. The Island is a landmark for all concerned with the slave trade, especially the local community and Africans in the Diaspora. Apart from a short period of re-use during the Second World War. Fort Bullen and the Six-Gun Battery were similarly abandoned in the late 19th century. At San Domingo, there are very few visible remains but the area has considerable potential for archaeological research. The ruins that convey the Outstanding Universal Value are extremely vulnerable to erosion. At the time of inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the ruined sites were seen to be part of a wider cultural landscape that needed protection to protect the setting of the sites and to allow them to be understood.
Protection and management requirements
Kunta Kinteh Island, Fort Bullen and all the significant historic buildings in the Albreda-Juffureh complex are legally protected as National Monuments (1995) under the National Council for Arts and Culture Act, 1989 (revised 2003). The proclamation instrument also establishes a buffer zone for all the sites that should be kept free of incompatible developments with adverse effects on their setting. As National Monuments the historic structures are under the custodianship of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) who are responsible for their conservation and upkeep. Day-to-day management rests with the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the NCAC, which employs a Destination Manager, Showroom attendant, site attendants and caretakers. The Six-Gun Battery is located within the State House grounds and is protected by the Office of the President. The sites also have a 5-year management plan that sets out what is acceptable at the individual site and at the national level. This plan was prepared as a result of the joint effort of ten different national and local organizations, supported by the Africa 2009 program.
The funding used for the management and maintenance of the sites is relatively limited and comes mainly from entrance fees. Every three months, the Head of the Museums and Monuments section of the NCAC performs a physical inspection of the sites. This conditional assessment is carried out with a representative of the local stakeholders and, if possible, with a local guide. A brief report is prepared after each visit and these are summarized in an annual report.
To the visitors, the property has symbolic and emotional significance, as a visit to Kunta Kinteh Island is a pilgrimage to their roots. As a piece of historical evidence, much can be learnt from the Island, and it already forms part of the history and social studies syllabus in Gambian schools.
The property contains very fragile ruins that need to be protected and conserved as the tangible elements that convey Outstanding Universal Value. There needs to be ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and conservation to allow these ruins to have the best chance of survival and be robust enough to withstand the onslaughts of nature.
Challenges Include:
- Inadequate funding to ensure constant preservation
- Climate change factors such as erosion sea level rise, weathering
- Treasure hunting
- Inadequate capacity building among the staff
Strengths: The local community is being engaged at all levels while The Gambia has in place an effective and efficient legal framework in the management system. The site’s staff is a committed team that is receiving training in heritage management from the NCAC’s partner organization, HERITΛGE, through its HerMaP Gambia program, co-funded by the European Union.
PARTNERS
The National Centre for Arts and Culture partners with the following:
HERITΛGE through its HerMaP Gambia program that is co-funded by the European Union.
UNESCO
NATCOM
Coalition of Sites of Conscience
African World Heritage Fund (AWHF)
Gambia Tourism Board (GT BOARD)
Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI)
*Ebrima Jammeh is Destination Manager for The Gambia’s National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC). This work was first presented at the 5th World Heritage Site Managers Forum that took place earlier this year in Saudi Arabia.
HERITΛGE keeps up the pace of the HerMaP Gambia Program for cultural heritage
The participants of the 1st International Responsible Tourism & Heritage Conference
HERITΛGE is happy to share two important actions of its HerMaP Gambia Program, an introductory workshop tailor-made and delivered for officials of The Gambia’s National Environment Agency (NEA) and its participation to the 1st International Conference on Responsible Tourism Practices and Cultural Heritage Management. HerMaP Gambia is co-funded by the European Union to support the country’s heritage sector so that it can serve as a catalyst for social and economic development.
Within the framework of the program, in late January, 18 officers and managers from the NEA attended an Introduction to Heritage Management workshop, delivered by HERITΛGE’s director Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis. The training equipped participants with a foundational understanding of heritage management principles while discussions on environmental impact assessment and heritage impact assessment provided valuable insights into safeguarding cultural and natural heritage, laying the groundwork for comprehensive heritage management strategies.
“In a fast-developing country such as The Gambia, it is important that decision-makers are aware of the importance of heritage for creating sustainable economic growth and of heritage management fundamentals,” said Dr. Kyriakidis.
The workshop was then followed up by the launch on January 24-25 of the 1st International Conference on Responsible Tourism Practices and Cultural Heritage Management, organized by the Institute for Travel and Tourism of The Gambia in cooperation with HERITΛGE, in the framework of HerMaP Gambia.
The symbiotic relationship between cultural heritage and responsible tourism was the main focus of the conference, showcasing community-driven initiatives promoting sustainability and providing valuable insights into leveraging tourism for positive impact and fostering sustainable economic development through heritage preservation.
“It is time to move on from being a paper tiger to scaling up the more active implementation of responsible tourism policy on the ground”, said ITTOG chairman and founder Adama Bah.
The conference featured a number of workshops and training opportunities that also highlighted examples from successful heritage management endeavors including the Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival, The Ninki Nanka Trail, various HerMaP initiatives, and more.
Keynote speakers, apart from Dr Kyriakidis included ITTOG’s Dr. Adama Bah, Baba Ceesay (HERITΛGE/HerMaP Gambia), Dr. Harold Goodwin (International Tourism Partnership), and Lucy McCombes (Responsible Tourism Expert).
HERITΛGE funding through its HerMaP Gambia program also enabled the participation of two nominated Gambian parliamentarians, Honorable Omar Jatto Jammeh and Honorable Alieu Baldeh.
Finally, it is worth noting that on January 23rd, HerMaP Gambia also held its steering committee and stakeholders meeting, with the participation of the National Assembly of The Gambia, NCAC, NEA, ITTOG, My Gambia, GYCC, the American Chamber of Commerce, JAYS, and a Barra VDC member.
About HerMaP Gambia: This HERITΛGE program aims to contribute to the enhancement of the cultural, creative, and sports industries as engines for social and economic development and job creation in The Gambia. Supporting The Gambia’s heritage sector, the management of Gambian Cultural Heritage is enhanced and valued. HerMaP Gambia is co-funded by the European Union and is being realized in partnership with Gambia’s National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC).
Digitizing Gambia’s Heritage: A workshop in Digital Tools for Cultural Heritage
HERITΛGE is pleased to announce the successful completion of a transformative workshop that trained heritage caretakers in The Gambia on the latest digital tools for cultural heritage management. Our “Digital Tools for Heritage Management” workshop took place in Barra, Gambia, from December 12th to 18th, 2023. It is part of the HerMaP Gambia program, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by HERITΛGE.
Led by HERITΛGE’s and HOGENT University’s Dr. Cornelis Stal, the week-long event was attended by 14 representatives from various leading heritage institutions in the country, including the National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the National Environment Agency (NEA), ITTOG (The Institute of Tourism and Travel of The Gambia), the Gambia Youth Chamber of Commerce (GYCC), the Juffureh & Albreda Youth Society (JAYS), CityWide Ventures International, and community members from Barra.
“I am genuinely delighted by the wholehearted enthusiasm with which the participants immersed themselves in this innovative workshop,” said Mina Morou, Africa Programs Manager at HERITΛGE and Project Manager for HerMaP Gambia. “The culmination of the participants’ efforts resulted in the impressive 3D modeling of two significant heritage sites, Fort Bullen and Kuntah Kinteh Island, a testament to the success of the workshop in translating theoretical concepts into practical and valuable outcomes.”
Dr. Stal, his assistants, and our trainees.Copyright: HERITΛGE
Dr. Stal, assisted by two students from HOGENT University, laid the foundation for an enriching learning experience. Participants were introduced to a broad range of 3D recording and mapping techniques, as well as methodologies to use and analyze spatial data. Geographic Information Systems were utilized to acquire, manage, and integrate spatial data for management and analysis purposes, and to publish the resulting data in cartographic deliverables for Fort Bullen and Kuntah Kinteh Island. The video forms part of the 3D modeling of Fort Bullen.
The initial three days focused on GIS fundamentals, 3D recording, and mapping techniques. The subsequent three days delved into theoretical training in photogrammetry, image-based 3D modeling, camera models, optics, and data processing. Following this, participants applied their knowledge practically to heritage sites.
“Many thanks to The Heritage Management Organization and HerMaP Gambia for bringing digital technology to Gambian heritage,” said Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of NCAC.