Paris - Saba:
UNESCO has inscribed two cultural sites in Cameroon and Malawi on the World Heritage List. Officials from the UN agency confirmed that Africa is a priority, even though it remains underrepresented on the World Heritage List.
UNESCO announced on Friday the inscription of two cultural sites in Cameroon and Malawi on the World Heritage List.
The Di-Jed-Bi area in the Mandara Mountains in the far north of Cameroon consists of archaeological sites likely developed between the 12th and 17th centuries, surrounded by agricultural terraces and places of worship.
The mountain range dominated by Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi is considered a sacred place inhabited by gods, spirits, and ancestors.
Among the 30 nominations reviewed this year are two more sites from African countries previously absent from the World Heritage List: the Bijagos Archipelago Biosphere Reserve in Guinea-Bissau, and the Gola Tiwai Forests in Sierra Leone, a haven for endangered species such as forest elephants.
Other proposed sites are linked to prehistory, such as the megaliths (stone monuments) at Carnac, France, and on the banks of the Morbihan River in western France, or to memory, such as the ancient centers of oppression in Cambodia.
The continent represents 9 percent of the sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, but it is home to nearly a quarter of those facing danger, particularly due to conflict, climate change, and the exploitation of natural resources.
The World Heritage Committee is meeting in Paris until Sunday for its 47th annual plenary session.
During her two terms at the helm of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, the organization's Director-General, has consistently prioritized Africa, even though it remains underrepresented on the World Heritage List.
| more of (International) |