Looking Back on 18 April 2020 - Thank You!
On 18 April, we celebrated the International Day for Monuments and Sites with the theme of "Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility". However, this 18 April was not like in previous years. With the world almost entirely under lockdown, no gatherings, guided tours or trips were allowed. But that did not stop heritage experts and enthusiasts from all over the planet to celebrate our monuments and sites through the organisation of online events: conferences, challenges, virtual meetings and many other innovative initiatives.
ICOMOS would like to thank you, the organisers, contributors and participants, for your enthusiasm and your resilience.
18 April on Social Media
This 18 April, participation on social networks played an even bigger role than in previous years. We are happy to have been able to count on your online support. The IDMS hashtags such as #18April, #IDMS and #SharedHeritage were widely used on social media. The hashtag #ICOMOSIDMS2020 appeared in 930 Instagram posts!
On 18 April, the ICOMOS International Facebook page and our Twitter account gained 400 new followers each. Our videos on the theme of 18 April, which you can watch here, were each viewed over 1 000 times on Twitter and LinkedIn.
We invite you to follow ICOMOS on all of our social media accounts for the latest information and updates!
Highlights of 18 April Events
This year, it was inspiring to see how the ICOMOS family reinvented the traditional ways of celebrating the International Day for Monuments and Sites in the midst of uncertainty. All of the efforts to maintain planned events by adapting them to the current situation were highly appreciated by ICOMOS.
Below is a selection of 18 April 2020 events. To discover all of this year's events, we invite you to explore our interactive map
“International Day for Monuments and Sites”, through the work program “Architectural Heritage - Cultural Identity | Egypt” and the Abu Simbel 50 campaign
Organisation of a webinar consisting of three workshops around the theme of "Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility" and a main seminar presenting the results of the workshops as well as words from the partners of the event and an exhibition.
United States of America -"Public Frank Lloyd Wright Sites #WrightVirtualVisits"
As 8 buildings designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the first half of the 20th century were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019, the International Day for Monuments and Sites was a perfect opportunity to celebrate this new World Heritage property. Short video tours of sites were shared via social media in order to raise public awareness of these landmarks and to allow virtual visitors to discover and experience new places from their own home.
Africa and Arab States Regions - "Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility: Perspectives from Africa and Arab States Regions"
In Africa and Arab States regions, heritage is experienced both at personal and collective scales. Beyond its historical value, it can be used as soft power within communities to enhance social inclusion, understanding, dialogue and development. This event focused on understanding the issues and influence of heritage (tangible, intangible, cultural, natural mixed, movable, inmovable) on the sustainable development of communities.
Read their report on the webinar.
Slovenia - "Shared Responsibility for Unprivileged Heritage"
ICOMOS Slovenia and fellow organisers of this webinar chose to adress the topic of "Unprivileged Heritage" in Slovenia, the sometimes overlooked heritage of diverse groups and communities from rural to urban spaces, with a special focus on the heritage of former industrial centres and their communities. The goal was to open the discussion and encourage people to share stories of their heritage via social media and to contribute to the understanding of how overlooked heritage has shaped their contemporary identity.
China - "Crossover Dialogue：Shared Future, Shared Heritage"
The Wuhan Research Society on Shared Built Heritage organised a dialogue on the theme of Shared Heritage and a common future for humanity with ICOMOS members from China, Portugal, Malaysia and other countries as well as Professors Siegfried Enders (Chairman of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Shared Heritage) and James Reap (University of Georgia). The discussion took a unique significance regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.
Indonesia - "Imagining Heritage Conservation Post-Covid-19"
This webinar was organised by Seraya Podcast and the Master's Program of Architecture at Trisakti University. The first session opened a reflection on heritage conservation practices in Indonesia and the second discussed the innovations in cultural heritage management in the future and the challenges faced by professionals during the pandemic.
See also
Read our article on this year's International Day for Monuments and Sites
Download the 18 April 2020 leaflet in: English - French - Spanish
Photo credits:
1/ Mision Tilaco Sierra Gorda Querétaro, Mexico © Comision Mexicana de Filmaciones/Flickr
2/ Frank Lloyd Wright © David Silverman/Flickr
3/ © ICOMOS Emerging Professionals in Africa and Arab States Regions
4/ © ICOMOS Slovenia
5/ Wuhan © MFish_/Flickr
6/ © Seraya Podcast, Master's of Architecture at Trisaki University