Implementation of a National Cultural Heritage Inventory in DRC | Phase II

- Published: 12 April 2024 - Created: 10 April 2024

Following the work initiated through a capacity-building workshop in 2022 in Kinshasa and Kongo Central, ICOMOS is implementing the second phase of the national cultural heritage inventory in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). ICOMOS President Teresa PATRÍCIO; legal advisor on cultural heritage Bély NIANGAO (ICLAFI/Burkina Faso) and cultural heritage inventory expert Boussad AICHE (Algeria), attended the first mission which took place from 24-30 March 2024 in Kinshasa, DRC.

Phase II of the project consists of several on-site missions to Kinshasa and remote mentoring, during which ICOMOS and local stakeholders and experts will prepare the tools and frameworks needed to set up the inventory.
The group of trainees from Phase I will receive a refresher course, which will be updated to incorporate the new guidelines and tools developed at the start of Phase II. At the end of this refresher course, the inventory work will begin, first with the support of ICOMOS experts, then independently, under the supervision of the Scientific Committee - a special designated professional working group within the National Consultative Committee (CCN), which is a governmental body of DRC.

Background of the project

Phase I of the project (2022) enabled an initial group of 29 Congolese cultural heritage professionals to acquire the basic knowledge and methodologies needed to develop and manage a general inventory of their country's cultural heritage in a sustainable manner. Following the training workshop, ICOMOS trainers drew up a set of recommendations for the CCN, proposing a roadmap for developing a well-defined strategy and precise methodological tools for establishing a functioning inventory, making use of the first set of trained Congolese professionals.

Given the size of the country and the scale of the task, the implementation of the Phase I recommendations need to be supported, as well as the work of the CCN and its professionals, both in the development of a
long-term strategy and in the identification of key people and the creation of appropriate methodologies.

Goals of the first 2024 mission

This first mission of Phase II of the project, which is set for a duration of 9 months, focused on the following:

support the drawing up of a strategic plan for the DRC cultural heritage inventory (determining the purpose and type of inventory; identifying the inventory platform to be used and the responsible bodies).
support the newly established Scientific Committee of CCN (Comité Consultatif National / National Consultative Committee), composed of local heritage professionals, that will advise the DRC's Ministry of Culture, guide the work of the technical inventory teams and prepare the methodological tools for the inventory.

ICOMOS will also make a comprehensive analysis of the existing national heritage legislation, identify needs and gaps, and propose recommendations on necessary amendments/changes or new laws, especially in terms of providing a solid and clear legal context for the inventorying process.

Workshops and meetings with government officials

Teresa PATRÍCIO summarized the programme and work carried out during Phase I of the project (2022) and presented 12 recommendations for a successful implementation of a national cultural heritage inventory in DRC.
She also introduced several cultural heritage organisations, conventions and international programmes and presented different types of cultural heritage inventory systems.

Boussad AICHE presented Algeria's cultural heritage inventory system, while Bély NIANGAO gave a presentation on the legal protection of cultural heritage with a case study from Burkina Faso.

Teresa PATRÍCIO, Boussad AICHE and Bély NIANGAO met HE Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge (DRC's Prime Minister at the time) and HE Catherine Kathungu Furaha (DRC's Minister of Culture) on March 27, 2024, to introduce Phase II of the inventory project of DRC's national cultural heritage.

This project is supported by ALIPH in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the United Arab Emirates.

Photo credits: 1st row: Teresa PATRÍCIO, CCN / 2nd row: CCN, Ministère de la Culture Arts et Patrimoines, DRC

See more

Heritage professionals trained by ICOMOS to create a national heritage inventory for the DRC (2022)

ICOMOS President in Kinshasa to prepare capacity-building workshop (2021)