CIE - Centre for International Heritage Activities
Centrum voor Internationale Erfgoedactiviteiten
Activities with Sri Lanka
Seminar- 'What is the Value of Your Heritage?'
PPP Seminar Series
Status: Complete
Duration: 2012
Partners: Netherlands Embassy to Sri Lanka, Ministry of National Heritage, Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Arts, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Sri Lankan Tourism Development Agency.
CIE organised this seminar to explore the positive effects of Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP). The purpose was to encourage possibilities for cooperation between the public and private sector in the region. The event aimed to discuss perspectives on heritage as a tool for economic development, through bringing together stakeholders to discuss their perspectives and experiences.
Heritage practitioners were encouraged to rethink their heritage sites as assets of economic development in order to increase sustainable management and use of these sites. The aim and task of the day was to evaluate how mutually beneficial partnerships could be coordinated.
The day was divided into two parts. Firstly presentations were given by international experts in combination with active workshops. During the workshops the participants were encouraged to explore the possibilities for PPPs at selected sites in Sri Lanka. These sites included the World Heritage Sites of Galle and Sigiriya and the Shared Heritage sites of Fort Frederick and Jaffna in Trincomalee. The second part of the day was open to private sector representatives who were invited to hear the presentations in the hope of instigating possible joint-projets. A starting point for new collaborations and ways of thinking.
Mutual Heritage Workshop, Galle
Status: Complete
Duration: 2009
Partners: Central Cultural Fund (CCF), Mutual Heritage Centre, Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, Maritime Archaeological Museum in Galle.
This workshop was organised at the Maritime Archaeological Museum in Galle in 2009. The two day programme covered the central themes of: built heritage, heritage tourism, mutual heritage, maritime archaeology, monuments and legislation as well as museums and archives.
Our heritage days provide the opportunity to connect participants working with Sri Lankan organisations and encourage them to share knowledge and experience. Heritage pracitioners were also able to present their own projects through a series of posters which were exhibitied throughout the event.
The discussions showed that the Sri Lankan heritage field are eager to implement new cultural heritage projects and to conduct further research as well as to raise awareness on mutual cultural heritage. A central theme for the Sri Lankan practitioners is the emphasis upon heritage tourism as an incentive to engage in heritage programmes.
On the second day visits to three mutual heritage projects were organised; the city of Galle (World Heritage Site), Matara Star Fort and Katuwana Fort.
Heritage Day Sri Lanka
Status: Complete
Duration: 2008
Partners: Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde
The Sri Lankan heritage day was held at the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde in Leiden, opened by the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Netherlands. There were a variety of inspiring speakers, from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, the Amsterdam Historical Museum, Department of Conservation and CIE.
Our heritage days provide the opportunity to connect participants working with Sri Lankan organisations and encourage them to share knowledge and experience. Heritage pracitioners were also able to present their own projects through a series of posters which were exhibitied throughout the event.
Their presentations were followed by workshops in the afternoon centering around the themes: academic cooperation, archaeology and history, capacity building and the mutuality of mutual heritage.
Documents
Programme book here ,
See some of the Heritage Day posters below:
Sri Lanka- Cultural Triangle in the South
Status: Complete
Duration: 2007-2009
Partners: Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage in Sri Lanka
Overview:
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage developed this project with the aim to promote cultural tourism in Sri Lanka and to improve the living standards of those people living in and around its' heritage sites. The focus of this project would also include the rehabilitation of the Southern region in particular.
The majority of the heritage sites which were identified for the project were of interest to both Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
CIE's Role:
CIE was requested by the Sri Lankan authorities to provide technical assistance and to coordinate the input of Dutch expertise during the implementation of the projects. Expertise was requested on several topics, including; climate control, museum management, digitisation and historical research.
In 2008 CIE organised two visits for Sri Lankan representatives to the Netherlands, and also sent representatives to Sri Lanka in exchange.
In 2009 the Sri Lankan Minister for Culture and National Heritage visited the Netherlands. CIE organised for him an extensive study tour on museum management in the Netherlands. He visited various Dutch institutions including the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Historical Museum, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden as well as attending an expert meeting with the Dutch heritage field.
Cultural Heritage Connections
Status: Complete
Duration: 2007-2013
Partners: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
Introduction:
This project was developed within the framework of shared cultural heritage. It was decided to establish an interactive online database regarding shared heritage cooperation with the priority countries. This would benefit current and future heritage cooperation through the provision of one central platform where information could be found detailing all past, current and proposed projects could be found, along with information about the experts and organisations involved. The users can share information and interact with the cultural heritage connections community, thereby creating a common resource tool.
The platform aimed to unite expertise and knowledge of projects in one central location and was set up in close contact with experts and organisations who participate actively in determining the contents of the platform. It was designed by CIE to be a tool for the heritage field, for governments and researchers, allowing them to add information and search for heritage projects and potential partners.
CIE made an inventory of the international heritage activities carried out abroad and within the Netherlands, which fell under the Dutch Mutual Cultural Heritage Policy. All the heritage projects within a specific country were inventoried and placed into a database, to be integrated into the platform. For each of the priority countries CIE organised two heritage days, one in the Netherlands and a counterpart day in the respective country, these were effective ways to not only raise the profile of the database and gather data but also to discuss the current state of heritage cooperation between the two countries and explore possibilities for the future.
Results:
The Cultural Heritage Connections platform was developed and built by CIE and is now managed by Dutch Culture. To visit the database please click here
In 2013 CIE finalised our research report as a summary of all our work surrounding the Cultural Heritage Connections programme. The report concentrates on defining the positive and the 'bottlenecks' in current cultural heritage cooperation, formulating conclusions and recommendations for the priority countries.
The report was the final step in the completion of the information for the database, with conclusions highlighting the successes and areas for improvement, as well as an overview of the involved experts, organisations and projects within the Netherlands and the Priority Countries.
Through this Cultural Heritage Connections Database CIE has had the opportunity to actively expand its network of contacts and partners for future cooperation. As a network organisation it was our mission to make this network available to an international field. CIE hopes that through this database we have further stimulated professionalism and international collaboration in the field of mutual heritage.
Learn more about in our presentation about Cultural Heritage Connections
Cultural Heritage Connections Launch
Status: Complete
Duration: June 2011
In 2011 CIE organised an International Heritage Cooperation Event, which was attended by over 100 international and national heritage experts. The hightlight of the day was the launch of the Cultural Heritage Connections platform. It was officially launched by the Director of Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Coordinator of Culture, Sport and Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Representatives of international heritage organisations, museums, universities and national agencies discussed strategies and inspirational methods for international cooperation on cultural heritage. A panel of international and national heritage experts then discussed and debated if, or why, colonial heritage can become common ground for international cooperation.