Successful follow-up of a project means that its outcomes are disseminated, or even transferred into solid actions for the future. This is the case with the WH-Interp project.

Three years ago, under the guidance of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, IE adapted its course for Certified Interpretive Planners (CIP) to meet the needs of World Heritage Sites. As a result of this collaboration, 42 managers and planners associated with World Heritage were trained on-site to explore the transformative impact interpretation can have on visitors and communities.

The collaboration of the two partners continued throughout 2023, to offer six of these participants the opportunity to develop full interpretive plans for their own World Heritage Sites, under the mentoring of Interpret Europe. These interpretive plans, following the principles of value-based heritage interpretation, referred to the following heritage sites:

• The Old bazaar of Gjirokastra, Albania
• Padua’s 14th century fresco cycles, Italy
• Ta’ Ħaġrat Megalithic Site, Malta
• Ġgantija Archaeological Park, Malta
• Wooden Churches of Maramureş, Romania
• Belgrade Fortress – Kalemegdan, Serbia

The interpretive plans were presented on 12 December, at an open, online webinar attended by more than 90 participants. During the webinar, the newly fledged interpretive planners discussed how value-based heritage interpretation materialised into specific solutions for their sites, as well as what were the challenges they had to face and how they overcame those.

And if the initial idea behind the WH-Interp project was that one day all World Heritage Properties could profit from value-based heritage interpretation, the webinar followed that same line. Instead of only focusing (and celebrating) the past results of a project that is being concluded, it also shed a light on the future. Sander van Dijk from the Netherlands presented the Wadden Sea WHS and discussed how value-based heritage interpretation can play an important role in it, whereas Matteo Rosati (UNESCO) and Helena Vicic (Interpret Europe) shared their ideas about future collaboration between the two institutions.

These comments from two of the presenters sum up the Project…

The WH-Interp project was an incredibly dense and enlightening learning experience, which I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to attend. Furthermore, I honestly believe that the hybrid CIP course organised under the guidance of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe should be compulsory for all UNESCO sites managers, at least at European level.  Roxana-Talida Roman (Romania)

A very interesting experience, that started with doubts but finished in the most unexpected way; we developed full Interpretive Plans, meaningful for our sites and communities. The webinar organised for the occasion was a testimony of the great work we all have done together, and it felt wonderful having the possibility to share it with others. Joli Mitrojorgji (Albania)
If you missed it, you can watch the webinar here:  https://youtu.be/_x_ZLhyaeJ0

Valya Stergioti has been IE’s Training Coordinator since 2015. She can be contacted at: valya.stergioti@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article: Stergioti, Valya (2023) ‘Can we fit three years of interpretive training in 120 minutes‘  in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2023, pg.5.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IE-Newsletter-2023_4-winter.pdf

The world mostly knows of the culture of Jamaica and other Caribbean islands through dance and music, which is of African origin and was alledgely the only form of expression during the period of slavery. Further development of culture in the Caribbean throughout the 20th century was linked to the spread of pan-African and Rastafarian movements, promoting pride, resistance, fight against racism, and equality. That was when black communities created an array of various music styles, with Reggae as the most known worldwide, which is now inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage.

However, not all heritage is well celebrated by Caribbean communities. Mills and sugar plantations have been associated with oppression, exploitation and inhumanity. Many of these sites have remained abandoned, while re-evaluation of one of the darkest periods of human history still remains challenging. Old plantation buildings are being bought by foreign investors and turned into luxury resorts where tourists spend holidays without exiting to experience the rest of the islands. The interpretation there largely twists the facts in order to please visitors and so slaves have been euphemistically renamed as ‘workers’ and slaves’ barracks are called ‘workers’ villages’. In addition, most of this income flows out of the country and so the colonisation has just changed form. What makes the situation worse, local people too refuse to face their slavery past. Are we Europeans ready to face our share in this? If yes, we need to refuse window dressing practices on these travel experiences and demand an honest exchange on the topic. The reconciliation process requires two sides.

In 2013, Europe was asked for reparations and there are now some funding programmes, such as Creative Caribbean and Transcultura, which aim to integrate Cuba, the Caribbean islands and the European Union through culture and creativity. The event, Mills and sugar: leveraging resilience through heritage management, sustainable tourism and creativity, held in mid-December in Kingston, Jamaica, was organised by the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean. Due to IE’s advocacy for heritage interpretation as an approach for making heritage meaningful to people and people mindful about our common future, IE was proposed by UNESCO Brussels Liaison Office as a suitable contributor.

UNESCO sites and public bodies from the wider Caribbean region, as well as several experts from Europe, were brought together to discuss how to empower communities through cultural and creative industries, tourism and, most importantly of all, how to bridge the intercultural gap and foster peaceful coexistence among nations that have been involved in the slave trade and exploitation in previous centuries.

IEs Managing Director, Helena Vičič, talked about experiences with heritage interpretation from Europe, focusing in particular on ways of talking about human values through heritage experiences and how to plan interpretation together with people. Also in Europe we have regions that are far from being reconciled. While heritage and culture has a power to unite people, we still need to explore and exchange good practices on how interpretation could deal with dark and painful heritage. The future needs to lead us towards pluralism, a celebration of diversity, cooperation and tolerance. This was emphasised by all participants at the event.

To cite this article: IE News Team (2022) ‘Mills and the sugar legacy in the Caribbean’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2022, pg.7

Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Newsletter-2022_4-winter.pdf

The Faculty of Humanities of the University of Primorska (UP FHŠ), in partnership with the Škocjan Caves Park (PŠJ), has established the UNESCO Chair of Interpretation and Education for Enhancing Integrated Heritage Approaches. The new Chair was approved by the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in August 2021 and it was formally established on 17 December 2021.

The Chair fills a gap in existing UNESCO Chairs globally. It recognises the key to sustainable heritage management in interpretation and education through integrated heritage approaches to answer the need for an inclusive approach to cultural and natural heritage management. The main guiding principles are participatory and value-based strategies, which can achieve integrated and sustainable natural and cultural heritage management through community involvement.

The department’s activities build upon the internationally renowned International Summer School of Museology and other educational and research activities of UP FHŠ, intertwined with the activities of Slovenia’s oldest UNESCO site, Škocjan Caves Park.

The newly established UNESCO Chair covers heritage studies, anthropology and cultural studies, archaeology, geography, history, intercultural studies, management, and biology from the scientific point of view.

As the core of an international network for joint research projects and an educational platform, the Chair will develop approaches and skills for heritage interpretation and education in a holistic perspective, based on the various discourses addressed by both partners’ research and activities (natural/cultural, tangible/intangible, authorised/alternative heritage discourse, etc.). With an innovative way of delivering education (aimed at both students and the general public), the Chair seeks to overcome stereotypical divisions between nature and culture, nations and ethnicities, professional sectors dealing with heritage, etc., and promote inclusion, cooperation, and awareness, empathy and peace. The main goal is to develop interpretation and education for professionals and the general public in an integrated approach to heritage.

The leading institutions of the UNESCO Chair complement each other with their rich experience in connecting different heritage discussions and approaches: UP FHŠ with an interdisciplinary approach to different heritage discourses in ethnically disputed territories and diverse types of heritage; and PŠJ with integrated heritage and nature management through the involvement of various stakeholders and communities. Both institutions are committed to overcoming the division between natural and cultural heritage: while PŠJ focuses on protecting natural values ​​and natural heritage, with the inclusion of a cultural component, UP FHŠ focuses on holistic research of cultural heritage, including the dimensions of nature protection. In the frame of the UNESCO Chair, UP FHŠ acts as an official institution in heritage education, with an interdisciplinary approach integrating archaeology, anthropology, art history, history, geography, conservation, museology, heritage tourism, intercultural studies, and heritage management. PŠJ has the role of the centre of non-formal education of the general public through UNESCO, MAB, Ramsar, etc. Institutional cooperation intertwines theory and practice as the starting point for sustainable education. Objectives of the UNESCO Chair complement the goals of the UP-research programme group on heritage.

The specific goals of the UNESCO Chair are to:

• create forms of interpretation that go beyond stereotypical divisions in the field of heritage;
• promote new approaches in heritage management and preservation and its promotion through participation and integration of traditional knowledge into development strategies;
• actively participate in the implementation and definition of new guidelines and policies in the field of heritage conservation, protection and monitoring, with an emphasis on conflict prevention and sustainable development;
• implement knowledge transfer through international and cross-border application and research projects.

Professor Irena Lazar, the Dean of UP FHŠ, is the head of the UNESCO Chair. The creation of the UNESCO Chair was supported by 30 established national and international institutions worldwide, such as universities, existing UNESCO chairs and other professional associations.

The UNESCO Chair presented its activities at the inauguration event in February, at which IE’s Managing Director, Helena Vičič, was present. The event’s main focus were the inauguration speeches delivered by Günter Köck (Austrian Academy of Science, Austrian delegate at UNESCO MAB-ICC, Vienna, Austria) and Darko Babić (University of Zagreb, president of ICOM ICTOP, Zagreb, Croatia).

Zrinka Mileusnić is the Head of the Department for Archaeology and Heritage at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Primorska. She is an assistant professor in archaeology, heritage and heritage tourism programmes. She is also an active member of the newly established UNESCO Chair. You can contact her at: zrinka.mileusnic@fhs.upr.si.

To cite this article: Mileusnić, Zrinka (2022) ‘New steps for interpretation in Slovenia’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2022, pg.18-19

Available online:https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PDF-Newsletter-2022_1-spring_draft-5.pdf

The World Heritage UK international online conference, in association with The Heseltine Institute, University of Liverpool, will take place on Thursday, 23 June.

In 2021 UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, acting on a report from its World Heritage Centre in Paris, decided to remove Liverpool from its list of World Heritage Sites. This was only the third time in history that a site had been removed from the list. It is an incredibly sad loss, not just for Liverpool, but for the UK as whole as part of our national heritage, and was the subject of much immediate national and international press attention.

This online conference will be of immense value to cities and places around the world, whether they already have a World Heritage Site or are considering an application. It will bring out and explore the very real tensions between conservation and regeneration; the responsibilities and consequences of inscription; and the importance of effective communication between UNESCO, municipalities, state parties and other bodies.

This online conference will seek to:
• explain how and why the decision was taken
• explore the inescapable tensions between conservation and development in managing an urban landscape, especially in cities acutely needing regeneration
• consider what lessons might be learned for other cities and places, including those which already have a World Heritage inscription as well as those actively seeking one
• appreciate Liverpool’s immensely important role in world history and its continuing architectural and townscape inheritance
• look forward positively to assess how Liverpool’s astonishing inheritance might best be managed, understood and enhanced in the future

The all-day online event will feature an array of speakers from:
• Liverpool, including the City Council and the private and voluntary sector
• National and international heritage bodies, including DCMS, Historic England, ICOMOS-UK and UNESCO
• Other international cities, such as Bordeaux and Dresden, which are or were World Heritage Sites

For more information on the programme and to book your ticket:
https://worldheritageuk.org/events/liverpool-one-year-on/.

Tickets prices:
• Early Bird (available until 30 April) £30
• General Admission (available 01 May to 22 June) £45

Available online:https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PDF-Newsletter-2022_1-spring_draft-5.pdf

Regarding our representation at international events, the current situation offers challenges but also opportunities. Events that were at first postponed have now been taking place online, and in many cases, they were opened to wider audiences. This also allowed our management and coordinators to represent IE at more such events.
While not all virtual events are as intense as in-person meetings, their number is still increasing. If you follow us on social media, you can find announcements for events that are open to everyone. Why not take the opportunity to get involved and exchange views with other members? Some events are recorded and the recordings are uploaded which allows you to watch them later.
During the past few months, we have attended and presented at the following meetings and conferences to maintain IE’s profile.
The third meeting of the Commission’s Expert Group on Cultural Heritage took place, in which Covid-19 and its impact on the cultural heritage sector was discussed.

We presented IE’s tourism initiative to other stakeholder organisations at the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) conference.

We introduced IE’s cooperation with UNESCO at an online seminar of Parks Norway in order to link more World Heritage sites with our tourism initiative.

We attended UNESCO’s launch of the ESD for 2030 Roadmap (Education for Sustainable Development) in the Europe and North America region and found that the IE training programme contributes to three out of five priority action areas of the roadmap (Transforming learning environments, Building capacities of educators, Accelerating local level actions).

We attended the high-level webinar, A Cultural Deal for Europe, led by Europa Nostra in cooperation with Culture Action Europe and the European Cultural Foundation. It was introduced by a powerful message from the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, and the joint statement ‘A Cultural Deal for Europe: A central place for culture in the EU’s postpandemic future’ was issued. This joint statement puts forward an overarching Cultural Deal for Europe to realise the potential of culture and heritage for Europe’s recovery and long-term future, which was
welcomed by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.

Finding inspiration in food and gastronomic heritage during lockdown was not hard and we attended these events: FoodTreX Research Summit, Arrival 360: The virtual in-destination event, and Food and Cultural Heritage: an EU Policy Perspective.

Of course, we also attended several online work meetings. We joined six meetings to prepare for the UNESCO pilot course on interpretive planning (based upon the IE CIP course) which will take place next year for people around World Heritage sites, and we also joined six meetings with the working group on traditional knowledge within the Climate Heritage Network to prepare for the Climate Heritage week, which took place 16-22 November.

Furthermore, we have been busy thinking about our next steps as IE enters a new strategic period in 2021– more about that coming up – as well as preparing for the launch of a new-look website coming soon. Our coordinators will have met online on 12 December so as we write we are looking forward to seeing what activities especially our managing coordinators have come up with and hearing everyone’s reports onhow they are doing in their various countries and subject areas.

Available online: http://www.interpret-europe.net/fileadmin/Documents/publications/Newsletters/IE_newsletter_2020_4_winter.pdf