(L-R) Deputy Chair of the Barbados World Heritage Committee and Chair of Barbados National Commission, Alissandra Cummins; Programme Manager for the ROAD project, Chereda Grannum; Head of the delegation and Chair of the Barbados World Heritage Committee, Steve Devonish; Focal Point for the 1972 World Heritage Convention and Focal Point for Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, Dr. Sheron Johnson and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Delegate of Barbados to UNESCO, Simone Rudder, represented Barbados at the recently concluded 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, France. (GP)
Barbados was represented at the recently concluded 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, France, which was attended by scores of delegates from the Caribbean and other territories.
At the meeting held at UNESCO’s Headquarters, Barbados held a successful side event to sensitise State Parties to the UNESCO 1072 Convention about the Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny Programme (ROAD) Project within the Heritage district at Newton, Christ Church.
The session was designed to showcase how the ROAD Project would transform the way in which cultural heritage is safeguarded, preserved, and transmitted.
ROAD Programme Manager, Chereda Grannum, outlined the core pillars of the project, including the development of key facilities within the Barbados Heritage District.
She also spoke about the application of advanced technology to digitise fragile archival records, particularly those linked to the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Ms. Grannum pointed out: “This effort is already strengthening Barbados’ capacity in the areas of conservation, preservation, and historical scholarship.”
Additionally, she underscored ROAD’s commitment to building local expertise, through training and institutional partnerships, positioning Barbados as a model for SIDS and a global hub for research and diaspora engagement.
Kenya’s Ambassador/Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris Guest speaker, Professor Peter Ngure, who was the guest speaker, stated that “what Barbados was doing is touching his heart”. He stressed that people from the African Diaspora “wholeheartedly welcomed the ROAD Project”.
Meanwhile, Director of the World Heritage Centre, Dr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, welcomed the initiative by Barbados, noting its timeliness as UNESCO was currently discussing the new strategy for small island developing states.
He added that the ROAD Project would “create opportunities to connect, and to know more about each other”. Dr. Eloundou Assomo viewed the Caribbean and Barbados, in particular, as a hub for the transfer of knowledge.
“Barbados, therefore, serves as a catalyst for research, historical inquiry and to explore the complexities of how we reconnect with our past,” he stated.
The delegation attending the meeting included Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Delegate of Barbados to UNESCO, Simone Rudder; Head of the delegation and Chair of the Barbados World Heritage Committee, Steve Devonish; Deputy Chair of the Barbados World Heritage Committee and Chair of Barbados National Commission, Alissandra Cummins; Focal Point for the 1972 World Heritage Convention and Focal Point for Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, Dr. Sheron Johnson; and Programme Manager for the ROAD project, Chereda Grannum.
Author: Julie Carrington
