REMARKS ON ASOR CHI’S CULTURAL HERITAGE MONITOR
The following talk was given by ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives team member, Bisher al Issa, at The George Washington University’s Elliott School on April 17, 2016
It is often said the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In the case of the preservation of cultural heritage the line is always between us and the community, not only because they are the beneficiaries and owners of their cultural assets but also because they are the sphere/equator that keeps these assets resilient and alive.
Cultural Heritage Monitor has set up this open call in order to engage Syrians and Iraqis, and give them a voice in safeguarding their cultural heritage.
In order to evaluate the CHM initiative, it’s important to look at the subject of cultural heritage in these countries from a bit of a historical perspective.
The nature of the political regimes in Syria and in Iraq is well known; regimes who rely on repressing community and individual identity in favor of a totalitarian ideology. An ideology which is so embedded in the system, in schools, newspapers, NGOS, etc. The subject of cultural heritage is also limited to promoting national propaganda.
Syria is a society of 22 different ethnic and cultural groups, speaking 8 different languages,
with a history of coexistence and great cultural achievements. Unfortunately this legacy has been used to create division rather than nurture community. Under the title of Arabization, the Baathists overlooked ethnic or cultural identity leaving Syrians and Iraqis without a voice for over 40 years.
We see this now with ISIL as they strive to confiscate the entire region’s heritage and consolidate it under one single interpretation of Islam that comes from the 8th century. The systematic destruction by ISIL in Syria and Iraq is an exaggerated example of what the Baath party had already been doing.
In 1982, the Syrian regime’s brutal attack on Hama left over 70% of the medieval city destroyed. Until now maps of the old city are considered classified. Sharing photos or information about the destroyed monuments will put you at risk of being jailed for weakening “national identity”. Later the redevelopment of the city’s former heritage center included a bizarre five star hotel surrounded by a large park. This is one of many examples of how the destruction of cultural heritage is not limited to terrorist groups but to any totalitarian regime acting above the law of human rights.
In looking at this recent history and the present atrocities of ISIL, it leaves us with the question of how are we going to give these people back their voice? How are we going to contribute to building the community identity? How are we going to create a resilient cultural heritage?
Many of the answers lay in what cultural heritage monitor is now hoping to achieve as an added value.
Over the last 3 years we’ve seen international organizations focused on cultural heritage build intervention plans on the basis of a post-conflict scenario. Instead this project has not delayed. They are getting their hands dirty now in the short term and taking it to the people on the ground. This is essential work.
By adopting a community development approach, CHM has moved from the initial documentation phase of cultural properties towards creating a long-term partnership and engagement with the Syrians and Iraqis in the process of preserving them.
CHM is act now vs. act later. There’s no doubt that both Syrians and the Iraqi people will be more in favor of “acting now” and engaging with the people through their existing social networks, particularly for those who are still inside the country.
This offers a window of opportunity and of hope; that there is somebody not only paying attention to their humanitarian and cultural crises but acting on them today.
The second point links to the aspirations of the cultural heritage monitor. For the first time, people are being given a voice to speak about their own cultural heritage, regardless their ethnicity or religion, and being recognized and acknowledged in this regard.
Tell them your voice is important, you are a partner in this effort, that your choice to stay and not become a refugee is important. And most important, tell them this whole effort is dedicated to you and is going to be handed to you.
Giving the people a voice and a stake in their cultural heritage will result in increasing community resilience toward both atrocities of the regime and ISIL. It will inspire a sense of ownership and pride and contribute to building a resilient cultural heritage in the future.
The crisis has dismantled the social and cultural fabric of the Syrian society. Every day we see more polarization of political views. The subject of cultural heritage is probably one of the last remaining elements which can be used now and post-conflict to unite people over a shared interest and bridge these differences.
However this needs to be managed carefully so that old norms aren’t re-established and cultural heritage is used as part of political propaganda as we see happening right now in the northeast of Syria between the Kurds and other minority groups. It should also not serve as a vessel to undermine the community and to invite further foreign military intervention in Syria such as what we now see happening in Palmyra. If we want to build a resilient society and a resilient cultural heritage, it has to represent the voice of a people and to celebrate their togetherness and diversity and, most importantly, their engagement in preserving it.
This is just a milestone in a long-term approach where the overall evaluation of the project will depend upon the degree of community engagement. Over the course of this period your continuous support and positive feedback is essential.
Other initiatives by Bisher al Issa
- Current work on producing databases of inventory of Syrian museums by using previously collected information and data from 15 years of frequent field visits to these sites. The objective is to fill the obvious gap in the “in country” records and to raise awareness among the Syrian public about their shared heritage.
- Work on mapping the locations of cultural property assets inside of Syria; a collaborative activity with other Syrian academics, scholars and activists who are located both in and outside of Syria.
- Advocate for community engagement and their right to protect their cultural property in order to build a resilient cultural heritage
