94 heritage for peace and reconciliation | manual for teacherContentsA wide view of the Human Rights Council Chamber during the high-level segment of theCouncil’s 19th session, 29 February 2012, Geneva, Switzerland. © Jean-Marc Ferré/UNPhotoThe right to individual treasure?Due to stormy conditions, the coast of Florida is especially rich in ancient shipwrecks.Some of the wrecks contain a varied and rich cargo because they transported preciousminerals from the Spanish colonies of America to Spain. As such, these wrecks providea picture of everyday life of the time and could become unique tourist attractions,provided responsible access is ensured and they are not destroyed.However, since treasure hunting has been legal in Florida since the 1960s, whole fleetsof wrecks have been destroyed and their cargo sold on the market. Many sites havealready disappeared. Even if it is clear that they contain no treasure, the wrecks aretorn apart for the entertainment of amateur treasure hunters, hunting in areas theyhave labelled the ‘gold coast’ and the ‘treasure-coast’.‘Treasure hunting is one of the few industries left that allows people to use theirstrength and wits to earn whatever profit they can find for themselves’, one treasurehunter said in a 2010 interview. ‘The ocean doesn’t care who you are or what you have.If you’re smart enough to find the treasure, you can hit it big.’
Contentseducating towards a better future95In 1990, Peter Throckmorton, pioneer underwater archaeologist, wrote in his wellknownarticle, ‘The economics of treasure hunting with real life comparisons’, that:What had been a relatively gentle weekend hobby as practiced in the Keys …became a gold-rush … Florida’s policy towards its underwater antiquities hascost the State millions. The State’s 25 per cent share from the treasure grubbingof the past 20 years is a collection worth only about USD 5 million today. TheFlorida State museum has in its possession approximately 1,500 gold coinsworth on the market about USD 2,000 each, and about 20,000 silver ones,worth USD 80 to USD 150 each. This represents the State’s 25 per cent ofall treasure recovered in Florida pre-1982. The collection has cost more thanits value to maintain, especially if one includes the cost of the continual legalcases that have resulted from the State’s policy. If Florida had used that Statemoney, and invested USD 10 million in two great maritime museums back inthe 1960s, instead of giving leases to salvers, the State would be nearly half abillion dollars richer each year, if the Swedish example [of the Vasa museum]applies to Florida.Groups of US marine archaeologists are now fighting to outlaw treasure hunting onshipwrecks. They consider treasure hunting to be little more than state-sanctionedlooting of historical sites belonging to humanity rather than individuals.I like underwater cultural heritage because it helps usremember that not everything is ours.Kayla, Ireland, 12Speaking and listeningBuilding block:We help children to express what they feel in a relaxed and safe atmosphere, andteach them to listen to each other, allowing them to work through conflicts withoutusing violence or without wanting to outdo, humiliate, or ridicule each other.If both parties communicate and listen, conflict can be defused. This may seemstraightforward, but it is easy to want to avoid conversation and confrontation duringa conflict, as defence mechanisms and the fear of having to confront personal interests
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