UNESCO Panel
Non-formal and formal education for sustainable preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage: the UNESCO experience in Jordan
Panel moderated by UNESCO Amman Office
Panelists:
Giorgia Cesaro (UNESCO Amman Office)
Sabrina Salis (UNESCO Amman Office)
Petra National Trust (speaker TBC)
Christoph Wulf- (FU Berlin)
Hani Hayajneh (Yarmouk University)
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Formal and non-formal education plays a crucial role in the sustainable safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO, 1972, Art. 27) encourages the development of educational material and programs aimed at strengthening awareness and preservation at heritage sites. Similarly, the 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO, 2003) clearly identifies formal and informal education as safeguarding measures to be adopted for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (Art. 14).
In this context, UNESCO Amman has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Jordan through formal and non-formal education.
Being inherited from one generation to the other through oral instructions, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) relies on intergenerational transmission for its safeguarding. However, due to increasing societal and economic challenges modes of transmissions have been placed under continuous strain. This poses a serious threat to the safeguarding of traditional heritage. In response to this challenge, the development of a specific module on intangible cultural heritage to be included as part of extra-curriculum activities in Jordanian schools was considered to be a strategic measure to ensure that this precious traditional heritage was included as part of the education system.
As part of the “Siq Stability” project, the UNESCO Office in Amman in collaboration with the Petra National Trust developed a specific educational curriculum focused on raising awareness on natural hazards present at the World Heritage Site of Petra. Aware that local/national participation and awareness can be the first step towards the protection of heritage sites exposed to natural risks, the curriculum was piloted through a number of awareness sessions which reached all six local communities around Petra. Awareness of natural risks preparedness and mitigation, mostly at the community level, can be the foundation for risk prevention at a site like Petra.
Sharing the approaches adopted by UNESCO in the field of culture and education, this panel examines the role played by formal and informal education activities in ensuring long-term safeguarding of cultural heritage. Specific reference will be made to the approaches adopted, as well as to the involvement of local stakeholders and communities in the sustainable safeguarding of cultural heritage.