African culture ministers should work together to support engagements geared towards the profiling, protection and promotion of the continent’s heritage property, South African Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Friday.
Mthethwa said this when he addressed the virtual Inter-Ministerial meeting on Sites of Memory and World Heritage Convention in Africa in Pretoria.
“For Africans, sites of memory are intended to celebrate, commemorate and acknowledge the successes of the leaders of our continent in our efforts to build nations, increase global awareness about African heritage and to mobilise cooperation for its recognition,” the minister said.
He added: “They (sites of memory) are also intended to highlight progress Africa has made, while reflecting upon the common challenges that arise from the implications of our history, our memory as Africans.”
“Our memory sites, associated to recent conflicts, tell our recent stories on the routes of African independence, and this is also the expression of African narrative and history in the world,” Mthethwa said in his virtual address.
He urged fellow ministers to rectify the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance, which the African Union (AU) adapted in 2012, to chart the way for Africa’s renewal by stimulating the creative and heritage economy of the continent.
“We are making a special plea to all the member states to facilitate the rectification of the charter. Our seriousness and commitment by ministers of culture will be judged by history,” he said.
The four-day virtual African experts’ meeting on Sites of Memory and World Heritage Convention in Africa was organised by the South Africa government in partnership with the African World Heritage Fund.
NM/as/APA