Activities >> Seminars

6th Directors Seminar
Benin 2004

Place: Porto Novo, Benin
Dates: 15– 19 November
Partner: Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA), La Direction du Patrimoine Culturel du Bénin (DPC)

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

• To allow course participants to present the 6 th Regional Course to the Directors;
• To examine the progress of the AFRICA 2009 Programme and give direction for the future;
• To allow directors to select 2 new representatives to the AFRICA 2009 Steering Committee;
• To commemorate the struggle and abolition of slave trade.

Structure: The participants of the 6 th Regional Course presented to the Directors their reflections of the course. The reflections were based on the units covered during the course. Each participant reflected on how particular issues raised in a specific unit would apply to his/her country. The presentations were augmented by an exhibition of the management planning process prepared by the participants. The Directors visited Ouidah the site for the management Planning exercise. Here the participants presented the sites and the work they had done. The site was chosen because of its association with slave trade. The participants also worked on the sacred site of Kpasse.

The participant’s presentation was followed by a seminar on the commemoration of the Struggle against slave trade and its final abolition. This was in line with UNESCO's declaration for the year 2004. This was a bilingual seminar attended by 16 Francophone 10 Anglophone Directors. Each of the Directors presented on the topic and this was then followed by group discussions to identify the key issues coming out of the group discussion and presentations.

Finally the Directors discussed the Africa 2009 programme. They deliberated on some of the topics for the technical course and thematic seminars. They decided that the next technical course should be on Conservation and Restoration of Immovable heritage. For the thematic seminar the issue of making Traditional Architecture sustainable was highlighted.

Results:

• 27 Directors and 5 partners’ representatives attended the Seminar. The participants of the 6 th Regional course also attended the seminar.
• Recommendations were made on the way forward with managing heritage sites associated with slavery Africa 2009 programme
• Mr Kidiba (Congo) and Dr. Tereba Togola (Mali) were elected to the Steering committee of 2009. To file the place left by Mrs Pumla Madiba, Mrs Esther Moombolah Goagoses (Namibia) was also elected to the steering committee.