UNESCO is an international organization. It is an acronym (see Glossary) for the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO is concerned with promoting education, science and preserving culture. They are most famous for protecting artworks and monuments. UNESCO has labelled a series of monuments, artworks, cultural events and items of food as human heritage. UNESCO tries to protect and preserve what they declare to be human heritage.

THE HISTORY OF UNESCO

Before UNESCO there was the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC) established in Geneva under the League of Nations in 1922. ICIC promoted international exchange between various culturally relevant professions such as scientists, researchers, teachers, artists and intellectuals. In 1926, the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation was established in Paris with financial aid from the French government to implement plans and policies made by the ICIC. The activities of this organization ended because of the start of World War II. Soon after WWII in November 1945, the UNESCO was founded during a United Nations Conference. The Constitution of UNESCO, signed on 16 November 1945, came into force on 4 November 1946.

THE UNESCO HERITAGE LIST

The decision to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt aroused a lot of international concern. This was a dam that was going to be built across the Nile. This decision would have flooded the valley containing the Abu Simbel temples, a treasure of ancient Egyptian civilization. In 1959, after an appeal from the governments of Egypt and Sudan, UNESCO launched an international safeguarding campaign. Archaeological research in the areas that were going to be affected by the flood was improved and made faster. The Abu Simbel and Philae temples were dismantled and reassembled on dry ground. Consequently, with the help of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO initiated the preparation of a draft convention on the protection of cultural heritage.

WHY PRESERVING HERITAGE IS IMPORTANT

Preserving heritage is important, not just for the individual culture that created it, but for the rest of the world. It’s important to maintain and preserve the art created by our ancestors because they show us the value and knowledge of our civilization. Heritage helps consolidate national and cultural identity. Heritage is also important because it is  a celebration of human endeavour. Africa is full of important heritage sites. There are 135 UNESCO sites in Africa and it is important to know them so that we can protect them better.

GLOSSARY

Acronyme – An acronym is a word that is formed by the initials of a sentence or a series of words to make a shorter name, for example the acronym CTA is formed by the initials of each word of Call To Action.