De islamistiske tropper i Mali ødelagde historiske og kulturelle mindesmærker, og der er brug for en hurtig indsats for at undgå, at de går til grunde. Sådan lyder vurderingen fra FN, der nu har udarbejdet en handleplan, der skal beskytte Malis kulturarv.
PARIS, 18 February 2013 (UN News Service): International experts and decision-makers meeting at a United Nations forum in Paris Monday adopted an action plan to rehabilitate and safeguard Mali’s cultural heritage, which has been the target of attacks by Islamic extremists in recent months.
Estimated to cost some 11 million US dollar, the plan also aims to provide training activities so as to re-establish appropriate conditions for the conservation and management of cultural heritage, including manuscripts and intangible heritage.
There have been several attacks on Mali’s cultural heritage after radical Islamists occupied the northern part of the poor West african country after fighting broke out in January 2012 between Government forces and Tuareg rebels.
Just last month, extremists reportedly set fire to a library in the city of ancient city of Timbuktu containing thousands of historic manuscripts. Prior to that, at least three mausoleums were destroyed in December.
The action plan covers both World Heritage sites and cultural heritage properties protected under national legislation. Specific actions are foreseen for Timbuktu, the Tomb of Askia in Gao, the Old Town of Djenne and the Cliff of Bandiagara (land of Dogon) as well as museums.
Comprehensive measures for the safeguarding and digitization of manuscript collections are also planned. The training activities foreseen by the plan concern all areas of cultural heritage preservation, both monuments and manuscripts.
UNESCO will send a mission to Mali to make a full assessment of the damage and how best to implement the action plan as soon as the situation allows it, the agency noted.
“We have gathered to transform indignation into action – Mali’s heritage is much more than an inscription on UNESCO’s list, it is the legacy of an ancient culture, a testimony of dialogue between cultures, and it is our duty to do everything possible to protect it,” said Ms. Bokova.
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