On the occasion of April 18, “International Day of Monuments and Sites”, Cultural Heritage without Borders Albania participated in “Tirana Cultural Heritage Day” organized by the Municipality of Tirana.
The activity took place in between the ancient City of Përsqop, an ancient settlement appertaining in the IV-III century BC and Petrela Fortress. Present at this activity were the Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, experts of cultural heritage, artists, scholars of this field, artisans, students, etc.
“The purpose of this day and this activity, – said Mr. Veliaj, – is to encourage local communities and people, to dedicate special attention to the cultural heritage for their lives, identity and community”.
To greet this important day of the cultural heritage of Tirana, CHwB Albania organized a heritage atelier with a group of around 30 children from 5-13 years of age. For those children, it was the first time that they encountered such an interesting and cultural heritage related game and booklet series. The children, CHwB team and even the Mayor of Tirana Mr. Veliaj engaged in a very interesting conversation about the Hamam, the Xhubleta and their significance.
Children from local families mixed with the ones visiting this historic area and CHwB team read together and colored the booklets. The booklets and Babameto Paper Model are produced by ChwB Albania as a part of the “E Ka Kush E Ka” collection, which seeks to include children and adults in a series of books and games through which they discover and understand cultural heritage.
The activity was closed with the mission completed and everyone smiling in a group picture. This was the perfect ending to an exciting day for the children and CHwB Albania. We are grateful to the Municipality of Tirana and the Cultural Heritage Directorate at the Municipality, for organizing such a beautiful event and helping us to contribute on this special day toward raising awareness about the importance of books for children and the usefulness of education through culture from a very young age.
The History of International Day of Monuments and Sites
World Heritage is the shared wealth of humankind. Protecting and preserving this valuable asset demands the collective efforts of the international community. This special day offers an opportunity to raise the public’s awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.
On 18 April 1982 on the occasion of a symposium organised by ICOMOS in Tunisia, the holding of the “International Day for Monuments and Sites” to be celebrated simultaneously throughout the world was suggested. This project was approved by the Executive Committee who provided practical suggestions to the National Committees on how to organise this day.
The idea was also approved by the UNESCO General Conference who passed a resolution at its 22nd session in November 1983 recommending that Member States examine the possibility of declaring 18 April each year “International Monuments and Sites Day”. This has been traditionally called the World Heritage Day.