Transport

Kenya hosts underwater archaeology conference

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Sports and Culture CA Hassan Noor with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi during the underwater archaeology conference in Malindi on March 12, 2019. PHOTO | COURTESY

Kenya is in the process of setting up an institute to start training underwater archaeologists as the country sets sights on harnessing the huge economic potential beneath the sea.

Currently, the country has less than three qualified underwater archaeologists making it very difficult to fully utilise the opportunities offered by cultural heritage and tourism.

Possible sites for the training institute are Mombasa and Malindi where a lot of archaeological work has been carried out including uncovering shipwrecks and sunken cities.

But even as the country affirms her commitment in developing underwater cultural heritage, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is calling on the East African countries and adjacent Indian Ocean countries to ratify the 2001 convention on underwater cultural heritage.

Director, Unesco Regional Office for Eastern Africa Anne Therese Ndon-Jatta said Kenya has made strides in the field but has not domesticated the convention.

Of all the 13 countries in the region, The Unesco director said only Madagascar has ratified the convention leaving all the remaining countries operating without proper guidelines.

The convention seeks to help countries forge a common stand in protecting underwater heritage by providing standard professional guidelines.

Ms Ndon-Jatta was speaking at a regional ministerial conference on underwater cultural heritage in Malindi which ended yesterday.

The meeting under the auspices of Unesco opened its doors on Monday and was attended by ministers, permanent secretaries and directors responsible for culture from the sub-Saharan region. These include host Kenya, Ethiopia, Somali, Rwanda, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles and Djibouti.

Kenya’s Cabinet Administrative Secretary who represented the Cabinet secretary for Culture, Sports and Social Services Hassan Noor Hassan said the ratification of the 2001 convention was behind schedule and asked the state parties to speed up the process in their respective countries.

“We have to do it within the shortest time possible so that we can start to fully enjoy the benefits that the convention provides,” he said.

“As a region, we tend to compete so much for resources that are above the sea leaving a lot that is found beneath.”

Mr Noor said Kenya has taken the lead by ensuring that a training facility is in place to not only benefit its residents but also provide opportunities to other countries in the region.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi said Kenya has for many years relied heavily on beach and safari in promoting tourism yet the underwater cultural heritage has the potential to substantially increase the tourism numbers.

“What is of urgency now is to ratify the 2001 UN Convention on underwater cultural heritage to fully tap, protect and market and bring the much needed revenue for both the national and county governments.

“There is still lack of awareness on what underwater cultural heritage means especially among key stakeholders like members of Parliament who are supposed to drive the ratification and domesticating the convention,” said Mr Kingi.