Maritime Mercantile City-Liverpool
Liverpool port- photo from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150
There are many cultural heritages in many places of the world that are in danger of diminishing and becoming extinct like Maritime Mercantile City. Maritime Mercantile City of Liverpool played an important role for the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century by becoming one of the world’s largest trading centers at the time. The major port was used for the mass movement of slaves and emigrants from northern Europe to America and forged the ways for innovators of modern dock technology, transport systems and port management. Currently, the city is very concerned with preserving the historical authenticity of various sites throughout the port, however, there’s no indication of any efforts made to make these sites and programs come alive. Interest in the historical harbor is declining and without increased excitement in the programs, the authenticity of the city may not be appreciated for much longer. Several companies split the possession of the harbor and surrounding city but each one has their own design plans for restoring, or rebuilding damaged pieces. This shows a lack of collaboration between the companies or an overall design plan for long-term preservation. If you'd like to learn more about this topic please visit this website: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150
Haiti Cultural Recovery Project
Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral- photo by Haiti
Cultural Recovery Project
Similar to Mercantile City, Haiti is struck with earthquakes, natural disasters, and unstable politics that threaten to wash away the deep-rooted culture of the people. However, some conservationists have already taken action to promote sustainable programs to rescue, recover, restore, and safeguard the Haitian heritage. One of these programs is the Haiti Cultural Recovery Project. The program collaborates with many parties by being funded by organizations including the U.S. department of state, and the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation while being organized by the Smithsonian Institution and the Government of Haiti. They’ve also found the perfect fit between community and tourism. A lot of the projects put on by the organization involve clearing away rubble to find buried cultural artifacts. As the rubble is cleared away from the streets and community, the artifacts become pooled in museums for tourists to come enjoy and enrich themselves without exploiting the rest of Haiti. The Haiti Cultural Recovery project is also great at making the program come alive through the promotion of ancillary activities and inspiring dance, music, traditions, and living crafts in the community and getting locals involved. The project also strives to protect the authenticity of every piece they restore and recover, using techniques taught by Rome-based International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Finally, as I’ve mentioned before, the main goal of the program is to preserve and protect all resources and cultural heritage they possibly can.
So next time you travel, look for programs and organizations that create sustainable preservation of the local culture and enjoy the authenticity of new enrichments and experiences. To learn more about the Haiti cultural Recovery project, please visit this website: http://haiti.si.edu/index.html
So next time you travel, look for programs and organizations that create sustainable preservation of the local culture and enjoy the authenticity of new enrichments and experiences. To learn more about the Haiti cultural Recovery project, please visit this website: http://haiti.si.edu/index.html