Cultural Heritage Risk Management Workshops

Middle East, Cultural Heritage, Conflict Prevention, Post-war Reconciliation

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About

Turathuna, which means "Our Heritage" in Arabic, is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to preserving and promoting cultural heritage. The organisation offers training on preservation of cultural heritage through first aid measures. Training is done in collaboration with the local communities and according to their needs. The ultimate goal of these initiatives is to facilitate the rediscovery of the unique identity and essence of the community, by including all generations of the community.

Challenges

Since the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011, a significant number of the country's cultural heritage assets have been subjected to damage, vandalism, and misuse. Regrettably, during the course of the war, the populace tended to prioritise their everyday needs and underestimated the value of culture, particularly cultural heritage, as a unifying factor and a source of all-encompassing growth. Turathuna aimed to tackle these issues by raising awareness oF the importance of preserving and safeguarding heritage while fostering unity among people through the celebration of their shared tangible and intangible heritage and rediscovering the nation's identity.

SOURCES OF RESILIENCE

Rebuilding trust among the community members

Documenting Syrian heritage by Syrians

Teaching cultural heritage risk management

Youth engagement and empowerment

IMPACT

1

There has been a noteworthy rise in both participation and volunteering in the foundation and its programmes, demonstrating a significant impact. A group named "The Heritage Guardians" was established to engage young individuals who have grown up amidst war in safeguarding and promoting their cultural heritage. Moreover, the foundation has made concerted efforts to document a vast number of damaged cultural assets and intangible practices.

By preserving the memory and practice of cultural heritage, we are empowering people and potentially preventing future conflict by reminding communities of the violent past and destruction of cultural heritage.

Founder of the Organisation

Network

LESSONS LEARNT

1

Investing in youth is crucial as they are the key agents of change and securing sustainability.

2

Relying on and investing in local heritage and national sources of resilience is crucial.

3

Encourage the expansion of the project approach to reach a wider audience and gain additional support, which will enhance its credibility and impact beyond the initial beneficiaries and targeted groups.

4

Relying on collective memories and national identity increases the sense of ownership.

We've structured our toolkit around geography, the type of artistic and cultural practices, and key peacebuilding themes. We’ve collaborated with a qualitative data analyst and experts from the field who are passionate about the subject. This exchange of knowledge and expertise allowed us to provide easily-accessible and comprehensible information on impact of different arts and cultural practices to peacebuilding.