The Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa (HACSA) Foundation has announced its participation in this year’s African World Heritage Day, which will be held on Friday, May 5, 2023, in collaboration with UNESCO, the Permanent Delegation of Ghana to UNESCO, and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF).
The theme this year is “African Natural and Cultural Heritage beyond Borders.”
The African World Heritage Day events will be in two parts; a virtual programme with a round table discussion in the morning and a physical screening of HACSA’s Christiansborg Castle documentary in the afternoon.
In February 2022, the HACSA Foundation successfully launched three short documentary films on the histories of three heritage sites in Accra associated with the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism.
These sites are the Christiansborg Castle – an 18th-century trading fort built in Accra by the Danes and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Richter Fort – the private home and fortress of a former Danish Governor of the Christiansborg Castle and the Osu Salem Presbyterian Middle Boys’ Boarding School – one of the first western style schools in Africa founded by Presbyterian Basel Missionaries who initially arrived to administer to the Christian officers of the Christiansborg Castle.
These heritage documentaries were produced by the HACSA Foundation, directed by Mr. Juan Gelas, and made possible with the support of the Embassy of France to Ghana, Google Arts and Culture, and the African Leadership University.
They can be watched at our HACSA Exhibit on Google Arts & Culture or on YouTube @thehacsa.
The virtual round table discussion will allow participants from across the world to engage in insightful discussions on the preservation and promotion of Africa’s natural and cultural treasures.
As part of the discussion, HACSA will discuss its Christiansborg Castle Documentary, which focuses on the historical significance and preservation of the site. Please register here to attend the virtual round table discussion on Zoom.
The second part of the programme marking the 5th of May as African World Heritage Day will take place in the Cinema Room at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The international premiere and exclusive screening of HACSA’s Christiansborg Castle documentary will be a physical event cohosted by UNESCO and the Permanent Delegation of Ghana to UNESCO.
The event will include a welcome by the Director of the World Heritage Centre, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, remarks by the Ambassador of Ghana to France and UNESCO, Her Excellency Anna Bossman, and a presentation by the HACSA Foundation’s Founder and CEO, Ambassador Johanna Svanikier.
The screening of the film will be followed by a panel discussion and Q+A and panelists will include Mr. Abdou Diallo, Country Representative of UNESCO in Ghana, Mr. Pierre de
Gaétan Njikam-Mouliom and Ambassador Johanna Svanikier. Registration is open to the public, but seating is limited. Confirm your attendance at n.mjwara@unesco.org.
About the HACSA Foundation
The HACSA Foundation is an international, non-profit, NGO and CSO founded by Ambassador Johanna Svanikier, an alumnus of the LSE, Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of Oxford and former Ambassador of Ghana to France, Portugal, UNESCO and La Francophonie.
HACSA’s mission is to reunite the diaspora, preserve and promote African heritage and culture, celebrate and support talent and creativity in Africa and the diaspora, develop leadership and career skills in the youth, and empower women and girls.
HACSA curates virtual and physical meeting spaces and places which celebrate African heritage and culture and enlighten, empower, inspire, and educate people and communities through knowledge, innovation, and learning about Africa. HACSA is registered in Ghana, the USA, and the Caribbean and is expanding membership of its HACSA Sankofa Network around the world.
For more information on the HACSA Foundation, the HACSA Sankofa Network and our programmes and projects, please visit our website at www.hacsa.org, follow us on social media @thehacsa or contact us at info@thehacsa.org.
