Jamaica developing cultural heritage registry

The Government is receiving expertise from the Organization of American States (OAS) in developing a national register of cultural heritage places and objects.

A team from the organisation is participating in a three-day workshop to provide training to local personnel.

The session, entitled ‘Effective Heritage Inventories and the National Registers’, got under way on Tuesday at The Courtleigh Hotel and Suites in New Kingston.

The national register of heritage places is a list of sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical value.

Minister of Culture Olivia Grange, in her address, explained that the development of the register will be undertaken through amendments to the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) Act.

Grange noted that the initiative will better position Jamaica to tap into the US$1-billion global cultural heritage tourism industry.

“(It will) ensure that we have a well-organised system and will help us to protect and promote cultural heritage resources of all types,” she added.

As part of the process, a ‘Sites of Memory’ programme is being developed, where plaques will be mounted to identify heritage sites.

Grange said that the national register project has at its core, communities and their significant role in protecting and promoting heritage sites, monuments and traditions.

“The impact of cultural communities, including the Maroons, Rastafari and Revivalists in Jamaica, contributes immensely to ‘Brand Jamaica’. Our cultural festivals and observances such as Accompong, Charles Town, or Moore Town, set communities apart and foster a sense of identity that is seen in the local craft. All these have the potential to be the main engines for economic growth and sustainable development for communities across the Caribbean,” she noted.

In her remarks, OAS Country Representative in Kingston, Jeanelle Van Glaanenweygel, said the project will seek to engage the active participation of communities with strong cultural elements.

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