5 May, African World Heritage Day [fr]

Heritage to preserve

Some 12% of heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List are in Africa. But a high percentage (39%) of them are deemed to be in danger. African archaeological heritage is faced with many contemporary threats, such as climate change, uncontrolled development, looting and poaching, civil unrest and instability. This heritage must thus be protected and preserved for future generations.

Through the Agence française de développement (French Development Agency) (AFD), France is financing major heritage preservation and promotion programmes. This mainly involves UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as:

• The Royal Palaces of Abomey in Benin, where the Museum of the Epic of the Amazons and Kings of Dahomey (MuRAD) is currently being built. This museum will house the 26 works from King Behanzin’s treasure, which France returned to Benin in 2021.
• In Ethiopia, the AFD is working to safeguard the rock-hewn churches in Lalibela. France is also working in the capital, Addis Ababa, to restore and convert the National Palace into a museum.

Furthermore, our embassies run many projects financed via the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (SFIP). In 2023, eight new projects were launched in Africa. The actions undertaken range from the 3D digitization of works to training various heritage actors.

Preserving heritage in conflict zones

France also supports African heritage through the ALIPH - The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas – which it created in 2017. ALIPH’s role is to:

• Help stabilize and rebuild conflict areas; Combat illicit trafficking in cultural objects, which is a source of financing for terrorism;
• Where possible, encourage the recovery of tourism.

In 2022, France organized the second ALIPH Donor’s Conference under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, itself committing to contribute a total of $30 million.

Archaeological missions: a powerful cooperation tool

For 70 years, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) has been supporting over 160 archaeological missions all over the world. In Africa, French missions are working in 19 countries in partnership with local teams. They have contributed to major discoveries such as the Toumaï hominid in Chad and, more recently, fossils on the Kromdraai site in South Africa, which provide unprecedented information on the first human traits.

Each year, the Consultative Committee for foreign archaeological research convenes leading experts on the geographical areas and periods concerned to propose the main scientific priorities and assess the quality of the research projects. The selected projects receive MEAE financing (between €9,000 and €22,000 per project) as part of four-year programmes.

Archaeological missions help create partnerships to preserve sites with African archaeologists and to:

• create an international research network,
• integrate local teams into the excavation sites,
• enable knowledge and skills transfer among partners,
• train young researchers,
• respond to new challenges regarding preserving sites in crisis areas and restoring them post-conflict, etc.