Activities >> Seminars

2nd Directors Seminar (Francophone)
Benin 2000

Background: From 13 - 17 November at the premises of the Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA), the 2nd AFRICA 2009 Directors Seminar was carried out in conjunction with the Regional Course on Conservation and Management of Immovable Cultural Heritage.

Seminar Objectives: The objectives of the Directors Seminars were to:

• disseminate information about AFRICA 2009 to heads of institutions in the region to better enable them to take advantage of the activities of the programme;
• provide a forum for input from directors to ensure that the AFRICA 2009 programme is meeting the needs of the African institutions which it serves;
• support the work of the directors by acting as a forum/networking mechanism which brings directors together on a periodic basis;
• provide support for participants of the regional courses upon their return to their countries by informing directors of course contents and results;
• identify existing and possible partnerships both inside the heritage institution and outside at the local and national level;
• elect two new members of the Coordination Committee.
  

Structure: Directors were invited from each of the 15 institutions represented by participants of the regional course. The seminar was divided into three parts. The first, constituted a welcome to the seminar and an introduction to AFRICA 2009. The second part of the seminar consisted of site visits and presentations by the course participants to inform the directors of the work that had been carried out during the course and to discuss the results with them. The third part consisted of discussion and group work on the topics of local partnership and the future of the AFRICA 2009 programme. At the conclusion of the Directors Seminar, a series of recommendations were adopted by the participants at the meeting.

Results:

• 15 Directors representing 15 countries in Africa participated.
• 18 course participants took part.
• 3 representatives from the partner organizations or other institutions took part.
• 4 members of the AFRICA 2009 Coordination Committee took part.
• Participants outlined the main results from the regional course.
• A brainstorming session resulted in a list of ways to improve partnership at the local level, both within the institution and with outside partners.
• Group work resulted in an indication of future directions for the AFRICA 2009 programme and a series of recommendations were adopted.

For more information on the seminar, see the final report (Pdf 2,72 MB).