UNESCO

2015 saw the tenth anniversary of the
inscription of Stari Most, Old bridge of Mostar
on the World Heritage List. Destroyed during
the outbreak of military hostilities in the region
in the 1990s, its restoration is a symbol of
reconciliation and international cooperation.
70
UNESCO General History
of Africa on films
UNESCO Member States were informed in
February that a series of six documentary
films, each 52 minutes long, drawing on
the General History of Africa, are to be
produced by the well-known BBC journalist
and producer Zeinab Badawi. This project
will translate into images one of UNESCO’s
major contributions to knowledge of Africa,
and offer to a broad public an African
perspective on the continent’s history. This
series of books is a useful tool for promoting
intercultural dialogue and building lasting
peace, as will be the films.
The bridge was reconstructed in 2004,
and many of the edifices in the Old Town
have been restored or rebuilt with the
contribution of an international scientific
committee established by UNESCO. With
pre-Ottoman, Ottoman, Mediterranean
and Western European architectural
features, they provide an outstanding
example of an urban settlement where
diverse cultural, ethnic and religious
communities have long coexisted, and are
symbols of reconciliation and international
cooperation. The celebrations included
a conference on ‘Historic Urban Landscape
– Mostar 2015’ aiming to raise awareness
of the importance of the management of
historic cities.
© RossHelen / Shutterstock.com
This year saw the start of the UN
International Decade for People of African
Descent (2015–2024). A series of events in
September at UNESCO Headquarters also
drew on UNESCO’s Slave Route Project,
and included activities organized in
collaboration with Fait à Cuba, a cultural
association, and the Valois Gallery. They
comprised an international seminar on the
theme ‘Artists and the Memory of Slavery:
Resistance, creative liberty and heritage’;
an exhibition, ‘Modern Times, Artists and
the Memory of Slavery’, of monumental
artworks by 15 contemporary sculptors
and visual artists from Africa and the
Caribbean; and a performance entitled
‘Oggun Today’ based on an exploration
of tradition and modernity through
music and dance.
Human rights, inclusion
and migration
Human rights should be the concern of
everybody on the planet, regardless of
their social status, personal history or
ethnic identity.
In March, UNESCO Headquarters
saw the commemoration of the
International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, opened by Irina
Bokova and William Bell Sr., Mayor of
Birmingham, Alabama (United States
of America), a city symbolic of the fight
against racism. The Director-General