ICCROM-Sharjah to launch the Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage 2020
Winners of ICCROM-Sharjah Awards will be announced
9-10 November 2020
Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and the Ruler of Sharjah, ICCROM-Sharjah will organize virtual meetings as part of the 2nd edition of the Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage, entitled “Authenticity, Community and Conservation in the Arab Thought”, from 9-10 November 2020. This year, due to the precautionary measures imposed by the spread of COVID-19, the Arab Forum will be organized first online. However, a broader event will be held next year, with wider participation of Arab and international experts and professionals.
The Forum will promote a dialogue on revisiting regional and diverse cultural perceptions of values, pose significant questions, and critique a spectrum of regional views on the subject. It also aims to encourage discussions among experts on the notion of “authenticity”; advocate and promote the significance and meanings of cultural heritage; inform cultural heritage policies in the region, in order to integrate heritage within sustainable urban development and explore means to engage diverse communities in conservation and post-disaster recovery projects; and finally analyse the role of museums and education in forming better understanding, and in making cultural heritage relevant to the public.
The Forum will explore the values and meanings in cultural heritage and the notion of authenticity and its attributes; present various case studies and potential approaches to authenticity; discuss challenges to the notion of authenticity of interpretation and means for communicating “authentic” messages to various audiences, with a special focus on the youth; and finally focus on the context of cultural diplomacy by reviewing various experiences and vision to consolidate the role of cultural diplomacy in enhancing intercultural dialogue.
At the conclusion of this event, the winners of both the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region, and The Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young will be announced. The ceremony will include various videos and presentations on all shortlisted projects as well as messages from representatives of the winning projects.
The Chairperson of the Council of ICCROM, Dr Oliver Martin, and the Director General of ICCROM, Dr Webber Ndoro will attend the ceremony and deliver speeches on the importance of the Awards in the context of ICCROM’s Mandate.
The second cycle of ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region includes two main categories: heritage sites and buildings, and collections in cultural institutions such as museums and archives. The Award honours and recognizes outstanding practices that contribute to the protection and vitality of tangible cultural heritage in the Arab world. In this cycle, some 56 projects from 11 Arab countries were submitted for consideration. The shortlist included 15 projects from 5 Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, and Syria.
Further information on event and registration is available in the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wrEJQI6PSAeT1QrJ1bb7Ew