By Yunus S Saliu
The National Center for Arts and Culture has announced its readiness to host the UNESCO Underwater Cultural Heritages two-day Sensitization program for stakeholders. The sensitization scheduled for 25th and 26th February 2019 will bring together different stakeholders from both private and public sectors in The Gambia.
The center will host the sensitization in collaboration with the UNESCO in other to sensitize the relevant stakeholders on the importance of the 2001 UNESCO International Convention for The Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritages to enable the country ratify the Convention.
Underwater Cultural Heritages as described by Hassoum Ceesay, acting Director General of National Center for Arts and Culture is the materials of culture and heritages which are under the water in the seas/rivers which could be sacred and they can be in the town or Ancient Island.
According to Hassoum Ceesay, a country like The Gambia has seven hundred years of interaction with the European ships “carrying slaves, gold, and ivory. Some of these might have sunk in the river.”
To get some of these heritages or histories from those ships already under the water, he said there is need to bring-in some expertise which is one of the major reasons UNESCO wants The Gambia to sign the 2001 UNESCO Convention –one among other reasons UNESCO organized the upcoming two-day stakeholders’ sensitization program.”
Among other reasons to ratify the Convention, he said, some of the heritages or histories from those ships already under the water “if they are brought on dry land they can become tourist attractions and add value to the country’s tourism products.”
Participants for this two-day sensitization will include officials from the Gambia Authority, Navy, Maritime, Diver Association, National Assembly Members, Media, relevant Ministries like Justice, Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Culture and Historians that will work with the UNESCO experts to sensitize stakeholders on the importance of the 2001 UNESCO International Convention for The Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritages meant for ratification.
The acting DG therefore appealed to National Assembly members to give due consideration to the Convention as soon as they receive it to enable the sector seek for fund from UNESCO to take care the aspect of the Convention. Noting that “the more Convention a country ratifies the easier the institution in the country will be able to sustain the capacity building and technical support to attain its projects as there are lots of interesting historical materials that can be found underwater taking into consideration the history of the river Gambia.”
