Grenada joined the rest of the UNESCO Member States in the observance of International Monuments and Sites Day, on Friday 18 April, traditionally known as World Heritage Day.
UNESCO’s 2014 theme of “Heritage of Commemoration” is aimed at encouraging local communities and individuals throughout the world to consider the importance of cultural heritage.
As a signatory to the UNESCO Convention in 1998, Grenada is determined to play its part in highlighting the significance of cultural heritage to the lifestyle, identity and community of its people.
April as Heritage Awareness Month, is a platform that the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture will use to focus on the tangible and intangible cultural legacies that are being transmitted among Grenadians, from generation to generation. The ministry is in the planning stage of a number of activities for 2015 to include projects and programmes designed to raise awareness of all things Grenadian.
Consultations are already being held with a number of stakeholders, to work towards the formation of parish umbrella organisations throughout the islands, such as the St Patrick’s Organisation for Development (SPOD) and the St Andrew’s Development Organisation (SADO). It is the ministry’s hope that once these organisations are in place, that other activities, such as community and parish meetings, the mapping of cultural assets;,and the collection of oral, tangible and intangible assets of the various communities, will contribute to the compilation of a National Inventory.
Additionally, the ministry has started dialogue with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development to review the Social Studies and Tourism Programmes in schools to ensure that students understand and appreciate cultural habits, and incorporate them into the vibrant tourism and culture industries that they may serve in future.
Source: GIS
