The School of African Heritage (École du patrimoine africain - EPA), ICCROM’s partner for cultural heritage conservation in Africa, has embarked on a strategic repositioning project in a bid to respond better to the continent’s conservation challenges. The repositioning effort was ushered in last week at a meeting of EPA’s Governing Board, hosted by the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), a leading Beninese and African university and one of EPA’s founding institutions. The gathering was led by UAC’s Chancellor, Professor Brice Sinsin, and Stefano De Caro, ICCROM’s Director-General and Vice-President of the EPA Governing Board.
The focus of the meeting was EPA’s new strategic orientation and institutional transformation. The institution is facing mounting pressure to address the growing training needs of cultural conservation professionals in French-speaking as well as Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries of sub-Saharan Africa, amidst decreased funding and stronger competition.
"I am very pleased that the EPA is formally engaging in this repositioning process," said Chancellor Brice Sinsin during a press conference held at the University. “More than ever, the institution has a key role to play in contributing to the growing needs of African countries. All nations on the continent are striving to preserve their heritage through training programmes for museum and site professionals, thereby fostering an integrated approach to the management of natural sites which are also cultural landmarks.” Sinsin continued, “The University of Abomey-Calavi is keen to take a leading role in supporting this effort and will reinforce its ties with EPA starting next year.”
EPA announced a series of repositioning actions to reduce expenses and improve efficiency, while maintaining the school’s capacity to serve governments and institutions in cultural conservation training in Africa, including in Benin. These actions will result in streamlined operations and greater Africa-wide relevance for EPA, which has already trained 1 500 conservation professionals across sub-Saharan Africa.
ICCROM’s Director-General Stefano De Caro said, "These actions are logical next steps in EPA’s transformation. While we at ICCROM are committed to engaging our unparalleled global network, we can only achieve our goals in Africa through a network of institutions and professionals that leverage knowledge of their heritage while remaining financially sustainable. A new business model is needed for EPA, and ICCROM will do its best to support EPA’s transformation going forward."
To support the effort, the University of Abomey-Calavi has announced that it will partner with EPA to offer a Bachelor’s programme in cultural conservation.
In order to achieve these ambitious objectives, EPA’s Governing Board has formed several fully independent, high-level working groups which involve four Beninese government ministries, thereby reinforcing the commitment of Benin’s new government to harness cultural heritage for tourism development.
Other board members, such as Blanche Nguessan, Director of the Cultural Heritage of Côte d'Ivoire, representing the French-speaking countries of EPA, praised the contribution of EPA and UAC to the promotion of culture. Unfortunately, observed Mme Nguessan, "it is only in Africa that development at times takes us away from culture."