During December 10 – 13, the 2019 Protecting the Past Conference gathered international heritage leaders and stakeholders in Agadir, Morocco. Photo: EAMENA/MarEA

From December 10th to 13th, heritage leaders and stakeholders gathered in Agadir, Morocco, for the Protecting the Past Conference. This year’s conference was organized by Global Heritage Fund in partnership with the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project and the ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre (ICCROM-ATHAR).

During three days of thought-provoking presentations and engaging discussions, international heritage practitioners shared knowledge, addressed pressing global heritage challenges, and explored new heritage protection opportunities.

This year marked the 5th annual PTP conference and the first since the passing of PTP founder Dr Andrea Zerbini. Since Andrea began Protecting the Past in 2015 as a workshop series, it has brought together over 200 heritage researchers and 600 professionals to discuss the most pressing heritage challenges, with a special focus on the Middle East and North Africa.

Andrea’s legacy lives on with the Protecting the Past series. This year was the largest yet, with presentations ranging from people-centered protection of cultural sites to documentation of endangered monuments. Participants learned about groundbreaking new technologies to protect cultural areas and explored ongoing programs empowering communities to be their own best heritage advocates, in line with the three conference themes:

  • Resilience and recovery for local communities
  • Knowledge exchange
  • Global to local

Yves Ubelmann (Iconem) and Chance Coughenour (Google Arts & Culture) were among the many presenters to discuss how technology can protect and document cultural heritage. Photos: EAMENA/MarEA, Global Heritage Fund

Also present at the conference were organizations such as Prince Claus Fund and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH).

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LOCAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE

Agadir’s unique city history was especially relevant to this year’s conference themes. Much of the original city of Agadir was destroyed by the devastating 1960 earthquake. On the cusp of the 50th anniversary of this tragedy, the Protecting the Past conference presented an apt opportunity to explore local heritage protection and management. Conference participants had the opportunity to visit the iconic Agadir Oufella and discover firsthand the challenges and considerations of local heritage site management.

Dr Bijan Rouhani of EAMENA opened the conference with a discussion of local history and heritage. Photo: EAMENA/MarEA

At the Agadir Oufella, professor David Goeury discussed local heritage site management with conference participants. Photos: EAMENA/MarEA

Of course, Agadir is known for much more than the historic earthquake. The city and coast region are also popular tourist destinations, attracting over 1 million tourists in 2018. As GHF Executive Director Nada Hosking pointed out, properly managed tourism can be a powerful force to protect cultural heritage in Agadir and around the world, with community-centered solutions driving economic development and investments:

Interest in cultural heritage is growing, especially as it relates to tourism. We, as heritage practitioners, must recognize and adapt to its development. Where the relationships between people and heritage have been broken, whether by over-tourism or other forms of exploitation, a people-centered approach can identify the problems and provide win-win solutions for all stakeholders.

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AWARDS BY GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND

Speaking at the conference were the recipients of the 2019 From Training to Implementation: Awards Presented by Global Heritage Fund. First announced in 2018, the awards aims to fund community capacity building, training, and grassroots protection of endangered heritage in the MENA region.

This year, the awards have already funded documentation of over 1,800 endangered heritage sites in Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Jordan. Award recipients Héla Mekki (Libya/Tunisia), Aqeel Almansrawe (Iraq), and Dana AlSalamin (Jordan) presented in Agadir about their progress

Héla Mekki
Documentation of Heritage Sites in the El Dhaher Mountain Range

 

Aqeel Almansrawe
Survey and Documentation of Endangered Archaeological Sites in ThiQar Province, Southern Iraq

 

Dana AlSalamin
Documentation of Heritage Houses in Amman-Jordan

 

EAMENA Trainee and Award by GHF Recipient Hela Mekki at the 2019 Protecting the Past Conference. Photo: EAMENA/MarEA

 

The 2019 Award by GHF recipients presented in a special panel at the 2019 Protecting the Past Conference, chaired by GHF Executive Director Nada Hosking. Photo: EAMENA/MarEA

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We wish to thank Mr Ahmed Hajji (Wali of Souss Massa), Mr Brahim Hafidi (President of the Regional Council of Souss Massa), Mr Abdelkrim Azenfar (Société de Développement Touristique de la région Souss Massa), the University of Ibn Zohr, and l’Institut National de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP), in addition to all other local partners and sponsors for their support.