African World Heritage Day

“African World Heritage Day is an opportunity to celebrate the richness of our common heritage in Africa, and to ensure its preservation and sustainability for future generations. As we emerge from a pandemic, we are also compelled to re-examine the role of culture and the importance for our well-being.” – Lazare Eloundou Assomo- Director, World Heritage. Too often the images emerging from Africa are of gloom and doom. This narrative is purposeful for those who are the owners of media entities with specific agendas that are rooted in Afrophobia. Africa is the world’s second-largest continent. The continent of Africa borders the southern half of the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean is to the west and the Indian Ocean is to the Southeast. Africa stretches well south of the equator. The continent consists of 54 countries and one non-self-governing country. Africa is home to some of the world's great civilizations including Ancient Egypt which ruled for over 3000 years and built the Great Pyramids. Other civilizations include the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the Kingdom of Ghana. Africa is also home to some of the oldest discoveries of human tools and possibly the oldest people group in the world in the San people of Southern Africa. Today, some of the world's fastest growing economies (2019 GDP) come from Africa with the two largest economies in Africa being Nigeria and South Africa. Africa has 1.1 billion people, and over half of them are under the age of 25. There are over 2,000 recognized languages on the continent. The most spoken language is Arabic, followed by English, Swahili, and French. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) states that while Africa is underrepresented on the World Heritage List (African properties account for some 12% of all inscribed sites worldwide), a disproportionally high percentage (39%) of these properties are on the World Heritage List in Danger. Disturbingly, UNESCO adds that the continent is faced with various contemporary threats, such as climate change, uncontrolled development, poaching, civil unrest and instability, and that many of Africa’s wonders risk losing their outstanding universal value. It is therefore more urgent than ever that this irreplaceable heritage be protected and preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Every year on May 5th, African World Heritage Day offers an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate Africa. This important day is set aside to increase global awareness of African heritage, with a special focus on youth, and to mobilize enhanced cooperation for its safeguarding on the local, regional and global level. African World Heritage Day History . In November 2015, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed May 5th as African World Heritage Day. They chose May 5th as it marked the anniversary of the African World Heritage Fund. This initiative was launched in 2006 to support the conservation and protection of Africa’s natural and cultural heritage. Did You Know?. The highest point in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 5895 meters high. The lowest point is Lake Asal in Djibouti at 153 meters below sea level. The largest country in Africa is Algeria, the smallest is the Seychelles. The most populated country is Nigeria. The largest lake in Africa is Lake Victoria and the longest river is the Nile River, which is also the longest river in the world. There are many ways we can observe and celebrate African World Heritage Day. Those of us with social media platforms can promote interesting facts about the continent. Those who are in academia or who are social media influencers should lend their voices regarding making the teaching of history education compulsory in the Jamaican education system. Unfortunately, thousands of students leave school yearly with limited exposure to history at the secondary level. Many of us are of African descent, yet we have never visited the continent, perhaps now is the time to plan that long overdue trip to Africa and explore some of the cultural and historical wonders. There will also be online events to mark this significant day, find one and become an advocate for the continent steeped in history and of critical importance to our sense of identity. Happy African World Heritage Day! In the words of Jodi Picoult, Africa – You can see a sunset and believe you have witnessed the Hand of God. You watch the slope lope of a lioness and forget to breathe. You marvel at the tripod of a giraffe bent to water. In Africa, there are iridescent blues on the wings of birds that you do not see anywhere else in nature. When you are in Africa, you feel primordial, rocked in the cradle of the world. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #AfricanWorldHeritageDay