UN says illicit trafficking in cultural property harms Africa's identity

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said Wednesday the illicit trafficking in cultural property harms Africa's identity.

Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa said in a speech read on his behalf by Misako Ito, the Regional Adviser for Communication and Information for Africa at UNESCO that illicit export of physical cultural objects has been practiced throughout the history of the continent in various forms and with different intentions.

"The scourge threatens, in the long run, the very identity, history, and memory of the African peoples," Ito said in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, during a capacity-building workshop on the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property in eastern Africa.

The five-day forum aimed to raise awareness and build capacity on the importance of the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

Ito called on all stakeholders to join forces in the protection of Africa's rich heritage because they represent unique instruments of cultural diplomacy.