One of the key animating factors for this initial wide-ranging discussion for all of us was in anticipation of the 20th anniversary of UNESCO’s Modern Heritage Programme. An important occasion presented itself to reflect on the transformative cultural experiences and global consequences of the twentieth century – modernism’s century – and the dawn of the Anthropocene, and particular emphasis on Africa and its diaspora.
This project began in late 2019/early 2020 when a group of researchers and colleagues from inside and outside of the University of Cape Town began meeting to discuss what modern heritage means in the African context. Colleagues came from a number of universities inside and out of Africa, and included significant voices from the African World Heritage Fund[1], the World Heritage and colleagues in the UNESCO system, Modern Cities Network and the Getty Foundation. Much our work since early 2020 has been conducted through Zoom, teams, email and WhatsApp, a reflection of the COVID-19 times we were in, but also an important opportunity to draw in a wide range of people into a conversation about modern heritage that might not have been possible under other more ‘normal’ circumstances.
Despite modernity’s planetary impact, the heritage of this seminal period is unevenly researched, appreciated, conserved and protected around the world. Nowhere is this more conspicuous than in Africa, where, despite initiatives like the Modern Heritage Programme and the 2004 Regional Meeting on Modern Heritage for Sub-Saharan Africa[2] there remains a serious oversight globally of the legacies (positive, negative, tangible or intangible) that transformed the continent, particularly during the twentieth century and which continues to remain deeply entwined in the challenges it faces in the future.[3]
Indeed, in our discussions is became clear modern heritage, with all its contested meanings, is one of the most marginalised heritage categories on the continent. In line with the Global Strategy for a credible, balanced and representative World Heritage List, adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 1994, the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) has identified modern heritage as one of the marginalised heritage categories that urgently needs identification and documentation if it is to be more fairly represented on the World Heritage List.
