By Yunus S Saliu
The National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM) Tuesday held a daylong synergy to create awareness and sensitize stakeholders on the protection on Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH).
The gathering as meant for awareness raising discussed mainly the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (the 2001 Convention) which aims at achieving heritage protection in the respect of high ethical and scientific standards as well as effective State cooperation, the importance of the Convention and importance to the country that ratify it.
Underwater Cultural Heritage as described means “traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years.” This heritage is a testimony of the relationship between human and his maritime environment.
In addition it makes it possible to rebuild lost lifestyles, and provides valuable knowledge in relation to, for example, shipbuilding, daily life on board, trade routes or maritime civilizations.
Hassoum Ceesay, acting Director General of National Center for Arts and Culture registered the center’s appreciation and thanked the UNESCO – Dakar and UNESCO (NATCOM) –Gambia on the protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage and as well for their constant support to the National Center for Arts and Culture.
Among other importance of the awareness-raising on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (the 2001 Convention) is to sensitize stakeholders on the Convention, meaning of UCH, importance and as well reason to ratify the Convention when presented to the authority. He further added that 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 as well add value to the country’s tourism products.”
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary General of UNESCO, Lamin Jarju, Senior Program Manager UNESCO (NATCOM) said the Underwater Cultural Heritage encompasses all traces of human existence that lie or have lain underwater with cultural or historical character.
In contact with outside world, he said The Gambia has had vessels from the Atlantic Ocean on the river Gambia navigating to the interior “the famous story of Mungo Park’s expedition on the Gambia River is common knowledge, the voyages of Alviso Cadamosto and many others are all too prominent to ignore or leave to obscurity.”
As all aware that the Gambia is inseparable with water life given the eponymous River Gambia, he therefore urged the government of the Gambia to hasten effort and ratify the Convention 2001 which safeguards Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Among other stakeholders present at the meeting were officials of the NCAC, NATCOM UNESCO – Gambia, The WAVY, UNESCO – Dakar, Gambia Ports Authority, Gambia Maritime Administration, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Justice, students from the universities, MoTC, MoFA, Tour Guides, among other relevant institutions.
