Hi, everyone. Welcome back to our module on "What is your heritage?".
In this case study,
we will explore the issues from a personal perspective,
and our experts will share their views.
When I was researching the looting of
Somali museums on the destruction of archaeological sites during the war,
I realized (a) Somali people are indifferent to
the looting of the museums because they don't go to museums.
They are indifferent to archaeological sites too;
(b) that they did not know anything about archaeology;
and (c) that they did not associate their heritage with archaeology.
Surprised that they were indifferent to their heritage,
I asked a different question,
"What is your heritage?"
That's when people actually started talking to me about their heritage.
They talked about their experiences,
the landscapes, and the places that they have been to.
So in Somali society,
archaeology is not seen as heritage.
The landscapes, values, traditions are the most important things.
Critical elements, such as medicinal,
spiritual, subsistence, social, economical,
and artistic aspects of the landscape,
are captured in daily life and in stories,
poems, songs, and dances.
Somali people know about artifacts,
what they are made of, and when,
why, how, and where they are from.
This skill is important for those in the diaspora too,
but in the homelands,
Somali people are pastoral nomadic who move a lot.
They have camels, sheep, goat,
and make many seasonal movements.
Therefore, heritage can have a very unique meaning.
I must mention that our experts are also going to share their experiences with us.
We learn that what a person identifies as their heritage is not straightforward.
In other words, you don't see on me that I have
partly switch heritage as a citizen of that country.
Similarly, Professor Peter Pels,
one of our experts,
cites for example Ireland, Turkey,
and Africa as part of what is his heritage.
I'm not surprised, as Professor Peter Pels speaks fluent Kiswahili.
Another example, Koosje Spitz from UNESCO
explains that national nominations are one way of defining heritage.
But, when we asked her what is her heritage,
she reflected on differences between [inaudible] and
different Christian communities there and their traditional clothing.
So, it's not that uncommon that people talk about
archaeological sites when asked what their heritage is on an individual level.
In the previous video,
I discussed the concept of heritage,
and that heritage is personal.
Now, in order to understand the threats on heritage,
you first have to look at what we believe is important heritage to us personally.
Please discuss amongst yourselves how heritage can be
a personal thing and the importance of articulating your own heritage.
See you in the next video.
But before that, please check out some of
our experts' personal views on what is their heritage.