Eleven African countries are taking part in the 2024 Memory of the World (MoW) International Training Workshop in Accra, to reflect on the significance of promoting, preserving and documenting the rich histories of African cultures on the global documentary register. 

The participating countries at the 15th edition of the training programme in Accra are Ghana, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Lesotho, Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda. 

The four-day workshop (August 27-30) highlights the contributions and experiences of women in documentary heritage and ensures balanced and inclusive documentation in UNESCO’s International Register. 

It was jointly organised by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) and the Korea Heritage Service of the Republic of Korea, in collaboration with the Ghana Commission for UNESCO. 

Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, the Secretary-General of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, said the workshop aimed at increasing awareness of the existence and significance of documentary heritage among UNESCO Member States. 

It was also to aid countries’ under-representation on the MoW International Register to identify documentary heritage with global significance and prepare applications to nominate such heritage for inscription on the Regional and International Registers, she said. 

This year’s training emphasises the contributions of women in promoting and preserving global documentary heritage.  

It was also to illuminate the vital roles women had played and continue to play in the tapestry of African heritage. 

Mrs Nerquaye-Tetteh said the Commission had taken notable steps towards promoting and preserving Ghana’s documentary heritage. 

In 2021 it launched the Ghana National Committee for UNESCO Memory of the World programme as the governing body on documentary heritage issues. 

In 2023, it assisted the Committee in holding its first-ever workshop for relevant agencies to enable them to brainstorm on ways to collate and preserve documentary heritage in Ghana. 

She, thus, underscored the need to embrace the spirit of UNESCO’s mission by fostering peace, eradicating poverty, and promoting sustainable development. 

Dr Kyung Koo Han, the Secretary General of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, said the workshop intended to increase the number of nominations and enhance successful inscriptions of African heritage into UNESCO’s International Register by participating countries. 

He decried the fact that despite the richness of African cultures, only 35 items from the continent were listed on the MoW Register. 

One of the objectives of the workshop, therefore, was to assist participating Member States to increase the number of nominations and ensure successful inscription of African heritage onto the global register.

Participants will also learn the methodology for preparing an application for nomination. 

“Africa is rich with history and cultures. The stories from this continent are unique and vital to the world’s understanding of our shared history. By safeguarding Africa’s documentary heritage, we’re bringing those stories to light and giving them the global recognition they deserve,” he said. 

Since the establishment of the Memory of the World Programme, an initiative of UNESCO in 1992, it has been steadfast in its commitment to the preservation and promotion of access to the world’s documentary heritage. 

The programme envisions a world where this invaluable heritage is universally owned, thus necessitating its preservation, protection and unfettered perpetual accessibility.