Votre ressource mondiale sur le patrimoine
EN
ES
FR
Réf.
41842
Type
conference item
Titre
When the castles were white, II
Langues
English
Auteurs
Hyland, ADC / Intsiful, George W. K.
Date
2003
Pagination de section
1-4
Titre de conférence
14th ICOMOS General Assembly and International Symposium: ‘Place, memory, meaning: preserving intangible values in monuments and sites’
Lieu de conférence
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Date de conférence
27 – 31 oct 2003
Mots-clés
forts / castles / management / presentation / World Heritage List / intangible heritage / conservation projects / conservation of historic monuments / historic buildings
Pays mentionnés
Ghana
Monuments et sites
Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions, Ghana
N° Patrimoine mondial
34
Résumé en anglais
Three of the historically most significant forts and castlesof Ghana, which were designated as a group of World
Heritage properties in 1979 – Cape Coast Castle, StGeorge’s Castle Elmina, and Fort St Jago Elmina – were
the subject of a major conservation programme executedin the 1990’s under the aegis of the Ghana Government,
UNDP and USAID. In architectural terms, theprogramme can be judged to have achieved its objectives,
and the future of these monuments, maintained andmanaged by their custodians, the Ghana Museums and
Monuments Board, appears to be reasonably secure. What had not been anticipated, however, when the initialbrief for consultants was drawn up and during the period
of project development, was the growing divergence ofopinion among stakeholders as to the authenticity of the
repair, refurbishment and adaptive re-use of the buildingsas community assets and as revenue generators. How are
these World Heritage Properties perceived? How shouldthey be presented to the public? As national icons
embodying the history of the country’s development, oras memorials to those who suffered the cruelties of the
slave trade – or merely as holiday venues?At bottom, there is an irreconcilable conflict about what
these buildings mean. The conflicting layers of meaningare examined and analysed, and proposals made for their
reconciliation.
Heritage properties in 1979 – Cape Coast Castle, StGeorge’s Castle Elmina, and Fort St Jago Elmina – were
the subject of a major conservation programme executedin the 1990’s under the aegis of the Ghana Government,
UNDP and USAID. In architectural terms, theprogramme can be judged to have achieved its objectives,
and the future of these monuments, maintained andmanaged by their custodians, the Ghana Museums and
Monuments Board, appears to be reasonably secure. What had not been anticipated, however, when the initialbrief for consultants was drawn up and during the period
of project development, was the growing divergence ofopinion among stakeholders as to the authenticity of the
repair, refurbishment and adaptive re-use of the buildingsas community assets and as revenue generators. How are
these World Heritage Properties perceived? How shouldthey be presented to the public? As national icons
embodying the history of the country’s development, oras memorials to those who suffered the cruelties of the
slave trade – or merely as holiday venues?At bottom, there is an irreconcilable conflict about what
these buildings mean. The conflicting layers of meaningare examined and analysed, and proposals made for their
reconciliation.
Document joint
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