Daily Times

KARACHI: The first International Conference on Makli will be held at the historic site in Thatta on January 13-14 January, 2018.

This was announced by Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Syed Sardar Ali Shah at the concluding session of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s (WHC) two-day workshop organised at the National Museum Karachi.

The workshop titled “World Heritage and Sustainable Development: The Role of Local Communities” brought together several national and international experts to facilitate discussions on community involvement in conservation of heritage sites, as well as that of other sites of cultural significance. “Let me take this opportunity to assure all of you that the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities in Sindh will take up this task and ensure its successful implementation,” the minister said.

Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that the workshop had provided a unique opportunity to the participants to witness success stories from across the region for safeguarding heritage sites with involvement of communities. “We are fortunate to be the descendants of one of the oldest bronze-age civilisation. The imprints of the civilisation are evident in various forms of our tangible and intangible cultural expressions,” he said, “We are proud to have in Sindh two of the world’s most renowned heritage sites which have a unique history, art, architecture and archaeology.”

“Community involvement in efforts to protect heritage sites can contribute to establishment of peaceful and cohesive societies. This, in turn, can facilitate efforts for poverty alleviation through job creation,” Vibeke Jensen, UNESCO’s Pakistan representative

Earlier, the experts from Bangladesh, Jordan, Nepal, Oman and Pakistan presented case studies at the workshop to identify best practices for the conservation of heritage sites. “It is by developing good practices and prioritising engagement of local communities that efforts towards conservation of monuments can occur in an inclusive manner. This will create income generating activities for communities,” the experts observed.

The opening remarks were delivered by Vibeke Jensen, UNESCO’s Pakistan representative. She highlighted how community involvement in efforts to protect heritage sites could also contribute to establishment of peaceful and cohesive societies. This, in turn, can facilitate efforts for poverty alleviation through job creation,” she said.

Speaking at the occasion, Manzoor Ahmed Kanasro, the director general at the Directorate of Antiquities and Archaeology, Sindh, welcomed participants and appreciated UNESCO’s efforts for presenting best practices in the region for conservation of heritage sites. Then, Junhi Han of the World Heritage Centre at UNESCO provided a comprehensive background on the institutional framework of community engagement at heritage sites as a launching pad for a series of discussions that commenced afterwards.

In the first session on sustainable development through community involvement, Yasmeen Lari, the Heritage Foundation chief executive officer, presented her organisation’s work on a project titled “Revitalisation of Ancient Glazed Tiles in Sindh”. She highlighted ways in which members of marginalised communities, particularly women, could be engaged in conservation tasks. She expressed her hope that training sessions for Makli’s women on kashi-kari (mosaic art) could be arranged very soon at the Makli Kashi Centre established under the project.

Several other experts from around the globe presented their cases. They stressed the importance of involving community members in conservation efforts and the need for revitalisation of crafts through community engagement. They sought development of viable management systems for heritage sites as well as the use of scaled-up versions of community engagement models based on syntheses from other successful projects.

The workshop concluded with a brainstorming session and discussion among the participants and the case presenters, exploring new avenues for community engagement in sustainable development of heritage sites.

Syed Sardar Ali Shah concluded the workshop, expressing his commitment to the protection of the rich cultural heritage of the province. He also shared various interventions where the Sindh government was trying to preserve, protect and promote heritage sites in Sindh.

The writer is a member of the reporting staff

Published in Daily Times, November 24^nd 2017.