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Unesco rewards work of Aapravasi Ghat defenders
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Unesco rewards work of Aapravasi Ghat defenders
I has come at long last. The Aapravasi Ghat has been enrolled on Unesco’s World Heritage list. After long years of hard work for the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund – and especially the chairperson, Vijaya Teelock – the site where more than 400,000 Indian indentured labourers landed in Mauritius has become a symbol for humanity.
The decision was taken by the World Heritage Committee of Unesco who met in Lithuania last week to take stock of the state of the sites already enrolled on the list and eventually add new sites to it. A delegation of eight Mauritian personalities – involving the minister of Arts and Culture, Mahendra Gowressoo, the attorney general, Rama Valayden, and the chairperson of the AGTF – went to Vilnius, Lithunia. The minister of Arts and Culture, who looked very proud of the Mauritian achievement, conceded that it was “not an easy job”. But he already has another priority in mind, “Now our next target is Le Morne,” he said to l’express.
Authentic site</B>
So as to get the site enrolled on the World Heritage list, the Mauritian party had to make it clear that the Aapravasi Ghat was authentic, support it with documents proving what the site was used for at that time as well as showing that Mauritius is able to manage such an important site for humanity. This means that the work is far from over…
Now that the Aapravasi Ghat has obtained full recognition, the committee will have to make sure that the site is brought back to the state it was in when the arrival of the labourers was at its peak in 1865. The committee will have to submit regular reports on the state of preservation of the site as well as protection measures that it has set up. Moreover, the enrolment of a site on this World Heritage list allows it to be granted financial assistance as well as technical cooperation. It can also help in case of immediate danger and the possibility of damage caused by natural disasters or human activity.
But more than having financial benefits for the preservation of the site or in addition to the prestige of a Mauritian site becoming part of the heritage of the whole of humanity, the enrolment of the Aapravasi Ghat on the World Heritage list could have a strong impact on the economy. Having international recognition of a site makes it well known worldwide and should bring in a high number of tourists, thus becoming a major source of revenue for the country…
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