Blooming amidst the ruins: Heritage Care in Times of Conflict

On 31 March 2022 at 2pm (Bangkok time) / 10 am (Istanbul, Baghdad), SEAMEO SPAFA went live on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/seameo.spafa/) and on Zoom for its seventeenth SESH titled, 'Blooming amidst the ruins: Heritage Care in Times of Conflict'.

Synopsis:
Turbulence, violence and conflicts within a country or among other countries are occurring in many parts of the world due to political, racial, cultural and social issues. It is undeniable that these tragic events cause tremendous impact to human lives, security, and losses. Cultural heritage has increasingly become a target of these threats through demolition, looting, trafficking etc. since the heritage represents the identity of a community or nation. During times of peril, the number of illicit trafficking in disputed areas are apparently considerable as cultural heritage places particularly museums and archaeological sites are neglected or even abandoned. The dilemma is that the heritage professionals need to be concerned for the well-being of the lives of the heritage caretakers who are also at risk of being harmed. Certainly, these tragedies are not easily solved. With some attempts and measures put in place during or immediately after the time of crisis, the negative impacts to the heritage and its caretakers can absolutely be mitigated. As such, in relation to the recent ongoing conflicts SEAMEO SPAFA is honoured to invite two speakers who are experts in this field:

(i) Zeynep Gül Ünal, the Vice President of ICOMOS and Vice President of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICOMOS ICROP), who closely works in areas affected by both natural and human-induced disasters; and
(ii) Layla Salih who is the Mosul Architectural Heritage Specialist.
These two ladies will share their working experience during the difficult time and recovery period which will inspire and morally support others who are facing similar circumstances around the world including our Southeast Asia.

Moderator: SEAMEO SPAFA’s Specialist in Cultural Heritage Conservation, Hatthaya Siriphatthanakun (PhD)