Iccrom Sharjah To Launch The Arab Forum For Cultural Heritage 2020

Under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and the Ruler of Sharjah, ICCROM-Sharjah will organise virtual meetings as part of the 2nd edition of the Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage, entitled “Authenticity, Community and Conservation in the Arab Thought”, during the period from 9-10 November 2020. This year, due to the precautionary measures imposed by the spread of COVID-19, the Arab Forum will be organised first online. However, a broader event will be organised next year, with wider participation of Arab and international experts and professionals.

“The second edition of the Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage, conducted online this time, is aimed to take forward the discussions on “why we should protect cultural heritage?” to the notion of “authenticity in an Arab context”, said Dr Zaki Aslan, Director of ICCROM-Sharjah. “The Forum will be addressing the essence of cultural heritage preservation and its promotion to enhance means of cultural dialogue and learning about heritage of the “other”. This can be achieved by means of cultural diplomacy in a process of mutual understanding and inter-regional contributions to cultural diversity and shared heritage of humanity”, he added.

The Forum aims to 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 address various themes and topics that believe to be essential in the context of cultural heritage preservation. It 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.

The Arab Forum will be concluded by the announcement of the winners of both 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. The ceremony will include various videos and presentations on all shortlisted projects as well as messages from representatives of the winning projects. 

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 aims to honour and recognise 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 to the Award. The shortlist included 15 projects from 5 Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, and Syria.

Several experts, academics, researchers, students, intellectuals, historians, architects, journalists, archaeologists, and conservators will participate to the event. Furthermore, ICCROM-Sharjah is pleased to extend its invitation to all professionals working in the field of culture and cultural heritage in the Arab World and beyond to join the webinar discussions and attend the Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage. The event will start at 17:00 p.m. (UAE Time) on Monday 9 November 2020.