Looking back on 18 April 2021 | Thank you so much!
On 18 April 2021, we celebrated the International Day for Monuments and Sites with the theme of "Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures".
However, this 18 April 2021 was not like in previous years. With the world almost entirely under lockdown, few 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 2021 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 #InternationalDayforMonumentsandSites were widely used on social media. The hashtag #IDMS2021 appeared in more than 500 Instagram posts and we gained more than 70 followers!
On 18 April 2021, the ICOMOS International Facebook page and our Twitter account each gained around 200 new followers. Our webinars on the theme of 18 April, which you can now watch on our "IDMS 18 April 2021" on our YouTube channel, were each viewed by almost 3 000 people on our Zoom and Facebook platforms!
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 interprets its complex past and looks toward its diverse futures by 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.
If you contributed to the IDMS 2021 by oganizing an event, a workshop, a competition or a webinar, feel free to share it with us by contacting calendrier[at]icomos.org. Any kind of medium can be shared: articles, photographs, videos and live streaming.
Below is a selection of the many 18 April 2021 events.
Australia - Tribute to 'Kinchela Boys Home' survivors
On the 18 April 2021, around 25 Australia ICOMOS members and colleagues who attended the NSW International Day of Monuments and Sites event held at the Big Dig Archaeology Centre had a very special and emotional afternoon. We were privileged for hearing the stories of the survivors of the Kinchela Boys Home. They ‘Unlocked the Past to Free the Future’. Their story well fitted to this year’s theme of the Day ‘Complex Pasts: Divers Futures’.
Read the article published in Australia ICOMOS' Email-News.
Poster © created by Design 5 - Architects
Artwork © front cover of the 2017 Conservation Management Plan for the site - artist is Uncle Richard Campbell
Photograph © Alan Croker in 2020
Armenia - Tales from Armenia about Heritage
ICOMOS Armenia actively participated in the 2021 edition of the IDMS by producing seven videos. These videos are presented as cartoons in English and sign language, telling the story of the country, its monuments and its various events. Aimed at young people, the videos can also make adults think about the value of cultural goods and monuments.
Starting on 12 May 2021, you will be able to watch these videos on our YouTube channel, in our "IDMS 18 April 2021" playlist.
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Aghjka berdi gaghtniqy
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Akanjogheri tiruhin
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Jraharsi varsery
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Mantashaberd
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Merdzavor arevelqi zardy
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Tanahat
- ICOMOS IDMS 2021 | ICOMOS Armenia - Vardenyac qaravanatun
Photograph © ICOMOS Armenia Facebook page
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Public Lecture and Curated Walk
On the occasion of the #IDMS2021, ICOMOS Bosnia and Herzegovina organised two events, one on 19 April , 2021 entitled 'Architectural maps of Austro-Hungarian period in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo map', and the other on 20 April, 2021, entitled '1891-2021: 130th anniversary of major Austro-Hungarian military constructions in Banja Luka'.
Here are a small photo album illustrating the events held by ICOMOS Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Photograph: Curated walk: Architecture in my quarter - a walk through modern movement in Sarajevo, 1918-1940 © Boris Trapara
Chile - Valparaíso at the crossroads
The National Committee of Chile organised a webinar on 18 April 2021, on the issue of governance of the Valparaíso World Heritage site. This event was a reaction to the agreement recently signed between the city's municipality (current manager of the site) and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, to redefine the figure of the site manager.
You can find the webinar here, by entering the following code: @uMA*@g9
Poster © ICOMOS Chile
China - "Perception, Conservation and Inclusion"
During the month of April, and particularly on the International Day for Monuments and Sites on 18 April, 2021, ICOMOS China and its partners gathered ideas, efforts and forces to propose 46 events on the theme of 'Complex Pasts, Diverse Futures', with a focus on perception, conservation and inclusion of people in heritage. For example, the festivities began with a thematic programme for disabled children to appreciate historic paintings in the Forbidden City. Some of the events are ongoing until this summer, to perpetuate the idea that heritage is a valuable matter to share.
During the hard times of Covid-19, ICOMOS China believes that cultural heritage should yield more influences on the recovery of people's health and minds. The aim is to unite the global community in support of heritage conservation, with ICOMOS China playing a significant role in this process.
In this document, you will find descriptions and reports of the 46 events prepared by ICOMOS China and its partners.
Poster © ICOMOS China
CIPA ISC - ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Heritage Documentation
On the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites of 2021, the International Scientific Committee of CIPA prepared a short video presenting the history of the IDMS and the CIPA ISC, highlighting its aims, proceedings, challenges and actions.
Starting on 10 May 2021, you will be able to discover this video on our IDMS 18 April 2021 YouTube playlist.
Logo © CIPA ISC
Egypt - “Abu Simbel 50” & “AH-CI" Celebration
Egypt celebrated the #IDMS2021 by starting on 8 April in Cairo until 10 April in Alexandria.
The Cairo event was organised by AS 50 campaign and AH-CI | Egypt with the Cultural Development Fund, under the Auspices of Dr Ines Abdeldayem, Minister of Culture. The title of the event was “Okasha.. The man who gave the impossible a chance”, as Tharwat Okasha was the first Egyptian Minister of Culture and played an important role in preserving heritage. The event included a number of integrated activities, such as:
- A lecture by Arch. Hamdy EL-Setouhy, Expert member of ICOMOS and Founder of Abu Simbel Campaign. He explained the theme of this year “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures”. The lecture dealt with lessons learnt from the situation surrounding the salvation of the Abu Simbel temples.
- Abu Simbel Symphony, written by musician Aziz Al-Shawan 50 years ago, was played by a clarinet quartet. The Balance Quartet was composed of: Marwa Zayed - Sarah Ahmed - Amr Imam - Raymond Fawzy – Toaa Ali
- A showing of the documentary film, “The Eighth Wonder”, about the Abu Simbel temple and the salvation directed by the international director John Feeney in the 1960s, and a showing of a collection of paintings by the artist Hussein Bicar.
The event was attended by many specialists and those interested in cultural heritage, as well as the head of the Cultural Development Fund at the Ministry of Culture.
While the event of Alexandria was held in the Museum of Fine Arts in Alexandria on 10 April, it has included the announcement of the results of the "Reliving a Heritage" competition and the awarding of prizes to the winners. The competition was open to youth from all disciplines, and was aimed to regenerate knowledge about the importance of heritage revival.
You can see some photographs of the event by consulting this photo album
Photographs © Hamdy El Setouhy
EPWG - Global Café
ICOMOS EPWG would like to thank everyone for their contribution to the EPWG Global Café and IDMS celebration, as they had some great discussions during their webinars with people engaged and enjoying the event.
Here is a small photo album of screenshots taken during the virtual event.
From 30 April, you can (re)watch the webinars, as it is part of our IDMS 18 April 2021 YouTube playlist:
- ICOMOS EPWG Global Café: Journey to Inclusive Narrative (Session 1) (available on 30 April)
- ICOMOS EPWG Global Café: Journey to Inclusive Narrative (Session 2) (available on 1 May)
- ICOMOS EPWG Global Café: Journey to Inclusive Narrative (Session 3) (available on 2 May)
Poster © EPWG Communications team
Eastern Mediterranean University - "Looking at our Home / City from Outside: Disturbances in the Walled City of Famagusta"
Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Urban Research and Development Center (EMU-URDC) and Famagusta Walled City Association (MASDER) organised a historic environment awareness event series including a photographic documentation-exhibition and roundtable discussion with the theme of “Looking at our Home/City from Outside: Eyesore Scenes in Famagusta Walled City” on the occasion of the #IDMS2021.
Exhibition opening and talk took place on 17 April 2021, organised by EMU-URDC and MASDER. The event emphasized the values of living in a historic city like Famagusta and sought to raise awareness of the importance of preserving such values. The event also aimed to make Famagusta Walled City a more sustainable historical city and community within the scope of the UN’s SDG11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities”. Therefore, identifying, bringing forward and discussing the problems encountered in the city was part of the event.
Here is a photo album of the event.
Poster © Prof. Dr. Sebnem Hoskara, Director of the Urban Research and Development Center (URDC)
European Heritage Youth Ambassadors - Online Quiz
Joining the ICOMOS celebrations for the International Day of Monuments and Sites on the 18 April 2021, the European Heritage Youth Ambassadors curated an online quiz about World Heritage sites addressing this year's special theme "Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures". The 17 questions were representative of our ambassadors and the places they live, have previously resided, or have a strong affinity for. Seven EU countries were featured along with three non-European heritage sites, while a number of questions were related to transboundary and serial heritage sites, covering a vast geographical percentage. Questions were broadly related to a number of themes including cultural landscapes, monuments, local communities, language, architecture and raising awareness of our rich and diverse cultural heritage.
The online quiz opened for public participation on 18 April and was accessible through Facebook and Twitter for one week as well as Instagram for 24 hours. Overall, more than 130 people took the quiz, enriched their knowledge and engaged with the World Heritage sites in an interactive way, participating in the celebrations for the International Day of Monuments and Sites through the eyes of youth in the field of heritage.
Launched in January 2021, the European Heritage Youth Ambassadors programme is a result of a fruitful partnership between Europa Nostra, European Students' Association for Cultural Heritage (ESACH) and European Heritage Tribune with an aim to amplify the voices of young professionals in the field of heritage.
Discover here some screenshots of the online quiz from the European Heritage Youth Ambassadors.
Screenshot of the online quiz © European Heritage Youth Ambassadors
India - Reconnecting With Your Culture
The National Committee of India collaborated with Reconnecting With Your Culture, the UNESCO Chair University and Heritage, ICOMOS PRERICO, Asian Cultural Landscape Association, IFLA and the World Culture Project for a webinar about "Culture as an Idea and a Reality: From Cultivation of the Soul to Contemporary Cosmology". Held on 18 April 2021, it was moderated by Olimpia Niglio, and D. Paul Schafer and Rana P.B. Singh were among the speakers.
You can find the webinar here, on our IDMS 18 April 2021 YouTube playlist.
Poster © Olimpia Niglio
Italy
The National Committee of Italy gathered the efforts from its different Scientific Committees to produce an online marathon about specific themes, actions and subjects around the notion of heritage. Starting on 6 May 2021, you will be able to find the list of videos prepared by the Italian Scientific Committees below, and in our "IDMS 18 April 2021" YouTube playlist.
- ICOMOS Italy CIF - Youth for Future
- ICOMOS Italy CIPA-HD - Legami di comunità
- ICOMOS Italy ISCEAH - Terra Nostra
- ICOMOS Italy - ISCMP - Pitture murali in contesto
- ICOMOS Italy - ISC20C - Recuperare una memoria difficile
- ICOMOS Italy - IcoFort - Fortifications and Military Heritage
- ICOMOS Italy - CAR - La Valle Camonica e la ricerca sull'arte rupestre
- ICOMOS Italy - ICAHM - Una visita a volo d’uccello
Photograph © ICOMOS Italy Facebook page
Mexico - Tonala Pottery
ICOMOS Mexico shared a short video about Tonala pottery, a pre-Hispanic tradition in danger of extinction in Jalisco, Mexico.
You can watch this video here and discover our YouTube channel and the new "IDMS 18 April 2021" playlist starting 4 May 2021.
Screenshot of the video © Maria Zepeda, President of ICOMOS Mexico
Morocco - "Rabat: a Rich Past and a Promosing Future"
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat (Foundation presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa) and ICOMOS Morocco with the support of the Wilaya of Rabat organised a webinar on "Rabat: a Rich Past and a Promosing Future" to celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Sites.
You can now discover the programme and rewatch this webinar.
Poster © Khalid El Harrouni, Ph.D., Eng.
Philippines
ICOMOS Philippines had organised a webinar, which was able to bring in a lot of thought-provoking discussions among attendees and panellists, as well as a lively membership exchange of their National Committee members, even post-event. As local safety restrictions are still in place due to the pandemic, their event was held entirely online via Zoom.
Some great photographs taken during the online event can be found in this photo album, along with the promotional poster for the event.
You can (re)watch the webinar thanks to the Facebook live recording, and read the dedicated article here.
Poster © ICOMOS Philippines
SDG WG - Brainstorming and Sharing Session
The ICOMOS Sustainable Development Goals Working Group was honoured to invite you to their Brainstorming and Sharing Session the day before the International Day for Monuments and Sites. Moderated by Focal Point Gabriel Caballero, this online meeting engaged discussions about Inclusivity, Gender equality and Indigenous people.
You can (re)watch this webinar here, as it is part of our new YouTube playlist "IDMS April 2021".
Poster © ICOMOS Secretariat
Spain - Escuela de Estudios Árabes (EEA)
On the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, the School of Arab Studies of Grenada, Spain, had prepared a specific programme around La Casa del Chapiz, heritage of the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas). From 13 April to 18 April 2021, six videos were produced around the representation of Spanish heritage, which you can watch here:
- La restauración de Torres Balbás
- Las torres conservadas en la provincia de Granada. La defensa histórica del territorio almeriense
- Conoce el patrimonio CSIC: Visita a la Casa del Chapiz
Poster © Ignacio Zúñiga Urbano from the Escuela de Estudios Árabes (EEA)
Sustainable Conservation Trust - Launch with the Street Art (Spray & Save) event
On 18 April 2021, the Street Art (Spray & Save) event launched the activities of a newly found Sustainable Conservation Trust dedicated to community-based adaptive reuse of military heritage. Four local artists painted during the day at the open space of a successful adaptive reuse project Hotwalls in the old town of Portsmouth, United-Kingdom.
You can now discover a photo album of this event, and starting on 8 May 2021, you will be able to watch a video of the event, now part of our new YouTube playlist "IDMS April 2021"
Photograph © Denis Beck
Venezuela
To thank ICOMOS for the invitation to celebrate the IDMS, the National committee of Venezuela published an article on their blog,on the theme of the Sunday 18 April 2021. In addition, the editors of the Venezuelan architecture magazine "Entre Rayas" offered to publish the next issue in physical format.
Find the article online here.
Poster © Francisco Perez Gallego, President of ICOMOS Venezuela
Working Voluntary Club "CVT Club UNESCO" - World Heritage Education Campaign in Schools
On 23 April 2021, the Working Voluntary Club "CVT Club UNESCO" from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, gathered with students as part of a heritage education campaign. The aim of the project is to train a group of young volunteers for the dedicated to saving our local heritage, which is considered endangered due to the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the last 20 years.
You can now read the crisis report of the information day on the importance of monuments from the CVT / Club UNESCO.
Photograph © CVT / Club UNESCO
Main poster © The multilingual communications team of ICOMOS Emerging Professionals Working Group
See also:
International Day for Monuments and Sites - 18 April 2021 - Events