2006 US/ICOMOS Intern in Ghana

Theresa Coolahan (USA)
ICOMOS Ghana,
Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust,
and the Oguaa Traditional Council

Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana

Right:  Gina Haney (US/ICOMOS Board member and former Ghana Project Coordinator), and Theresa Coolahan (US/ICOMOS Intern to Ghana) with Osabarima Nana Kwesi Atla II and members of the Oguaa Traditional Council.

In 2000, US/ICOMOS organized a design & planning workshop, cosponsored by Conservation International and the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, for conservation and tourism development for Cape Coast, Ghana.  In 2006,  through a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, US/ICOMOS Board member Gina Haney and  US/ICOMOS Intern Theresa  Coolahan travelled to Cape Coast to make a follow-up assessment on the recomendations that derived from the workshop.

Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana

Cape Coast has been undergoing renewed development due to increases both in population and in the number of tourists.  In 2000, US/ICOMOS organised a design & planning workshop, cosponsored by Conservation International and the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, for conservation and tourism development for Cape Coast, Ghana.   The workshop was held during the middle of a two-year project, the Consolidation Phase, Natural Resources Conservation and Historic Preservation Project, Central Region, Ghana. In 2006, US/ICOMOS received a grant from the Samuel H. Kress  Foundation to conduct an evaluation mission to Ghana.

View of Cape Coast, Ghana

The Consolidation Phase followed an earlier, larger grant that restored three of the most significant castles and forts (all World Heritage sites) along the former Gold Coast; established  museum and interpretive programs; created a protected, national rainforest park (Kakum National Park); worked with local communities to develop alternative agricultural and business ventures; and developed tourism literature. The principal objectives of the evaluation were to determine the long-term effects of US/ICOMOS-led project activities and local project management as well as to identify, if possible, a suitable host organization for an annual US/ICOMOS internship in Ghana.

In September 2006, US/ICOMOS Board member Gina Haney (and former Ghana Project Coordinator) and Theresa Coolahan (2006 US/ICOMOS Intern) travelled to Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana to conduct the evaluation mission.  They were met by James Reap (US/ICOMOS Board member) for a portion of the trip. Based on the results of this trip, an evaluation report is being compiled to assist the local and national heritage groups with on-going planning and management of Cape Coast's heritage resources.

 In addition, US/ICOMOS hopes to identify funding to provide for an annual internship to Ghana, focusing most likely on restoration efforts at Gothic House, the headquarters of the Oguaa Traditional Council.  Built by wealthy trader James Dawson around 1815, Gothic House is one of Cape Coast's most important architectural sites.  The property was owned for many years by Jacob Wilson Sey, who founded the Aborigines Rights Protection Agency in the 1890s, before turning it over to the Ghanaian government shortly after Ghana achieved independence. 

The internship would be hosted by ICOMOS Ghana (located in Accra) and the Cape Coast Traditional Council, with assistance from the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust.

Click here for more photos of Ghana

This internship was funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

The US/ICOMOS Internationalal Exchange Program is funded by a variety sources.  Each of the host organizations in the U.S. contributed funds that cover a substantial portion of the costs for interns from overseas.  Grants from private foundations and individual donors supported the internships for U.S. preservationists traveling overseas, with additional support from some of the overseas host organizations.  The 2005 overseas internships were supported by the Dorothy-Ann Foundation, Marpat Foundation, Keepers Fund for Historic Preservation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Trust for Mutual Understanding, and contributions from numerous individuals.