|
Illicit Antiquities |
Conference note:
|
|
|
Safeguarding Africa’s Heritage was a one-day meeting held at the University of London on 17 March 2001 to discuss the various threats which face the African heritage, defined in its wider sense to include natural as well as cultural resources. Organized by Niall Finneran (School of Oriental and African Studies) and Andrew Reid (Institute of Archaeology), topics ranged from the problems posed by conservation of an Ethiopian codex to the impact of game reserves on indigenous communities. There were presentations from Mali, Nigeria, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and the Sahara, and included Mohammed Mohammed’s account of the loss during wartime of the Somali cultural heritage, and plans for its possible recovery. The closing commentary by Alinah Segobye of the University of Botswana usefully highlighted the political realities of the continent, but ended the meeting on a cautiously optimistic note. The organizers hope to publish the proceedings of the conference as a monograph, which will be very welcome. First posted September 2001; Page design updated September 2006 |
