Abstract
This article reflects on how the management of African cultural World Heritage Sites can contribute to sustainable development in Africa. Although the number of African sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List (WHL) has grown considerably over the last decade, their contributions to economic growth, social well-being, peace and security of the populations living nearby the sites remain particularly weak. With the publicity following their listing on the WHL, many sites become prime destinations for global tourism. However, multifaceted management problems including poor legislation, physical degradation, pollution, illegal predation activities on sites causing deliberate destruction, lack of security and political instability, lack of coordination between different ministries’ departments, poor infrastructure and difficult access to sites are persistent. As a result, a great deal of time, effort and resources are still devoted to preservation and restoration. Today, it is critical that African cultural World Heritage Sites be managed such that they bring economic, social and environmental benefits to the local communities. To be developmental, management strategies should take into account present environmental, sociocultural and political settings of the site, and its complex linkages with modern communities and their own aspirations for a better present and future. It is argued that a utopian approach, which envisions the future differently than the past and present and, which is inclusive of all stakeholders can be particularly productive.KeywordsAfricaCultural World Heritage SitesManagementSustainable developmentLocal community
Published Version
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