5 People, Communities, Heritage
In 2019, Protecting the Past explored how heritage professionals and institutions can work together with individuals and communities in the protection, conservation, and recovery of cultural heritage to which they are socially or spatially connected, and in decision-making processes about this heritage. The conference also sought the role and place of cultural heritage in society, as well as the way it is perceived and interpreted by local communities in the MENA region. Documentation has a pivotal place in shaping our understanding and appreciation of cultural heritage. However, in the age of digital documentation and in the face of rapidly changing technologies, the question is how local communities in the MENA region are benefiting from new technologies for documentation, interpretation, protection and conservation of their local heritage, and how these tools are responding to local needs.
4 From Digital Documentation to Heritage Management in the MENA Region
The fourth Protecting the Past conference held at ICCROM-ATHAR in Sharjah, UAE, 4-6 December 2018. It was organised by EAMENA in collaboration with Global Heritage Fund (GHF), ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre, Art Jameel. It explored how digital documentation is becoming embedded in the heritage management practices of the MENA region. Academics, national heritage stakeholders, professionals, and NGOs were invited to share their research, experience, and views on how digital documentation has changed, or should change heritage management in the MENA and adjacent regions.
3 Documentation as a Tool for Heritage Protection
The third Protecting the Past conference was held in Tunis (Tunisia) between 2-4 December 2017 at the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) Headquarters. The conference in Tunis followed a four-week training event organised by EAMENA and funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund for 20 heritage professionals and students from Libya.
