New Delhi (NVI): The World Heritage Day, celebrated on April 18 every year, is being celebrated differently this time as the world is under lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The day is celebrated to promote rich cultural of the world’s monuments and heritage sites.
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) proposed several measures to celebrate the day while in quarantine.
Some activities can be undertaken like virtual conferences, online lectures, press releases, and social media campaigns, ICOMOS stated in a press release.
“You can post photos, information and videos on shared cultures and shared heritage from your respective country. To increase the reach, we should use hashtags and share the message with friends and family. Individuals can also upload photos in relation to the theme, onto the ICOMOS Photobank”, it further added.
In the time of the ongoing global crisis, the Theme of ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’ is even more important.
As theme reflect the context of heritage as part of cultural identity at a time of population shift, conflict, and crisis. It recognises that heritage places, landscapes, practices are frequently connected with and valued by multiple and diverse groups and communities,’ ICOMOS said.
Apart from this, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) also urged people to participate in the event.
“It is through online activities like these that we can spread awareness about our shared cultural heritage and educate those who are unaware about the rich cultural,” said in a statement.
UNESCO also expressed regards for the caretakers of world heritage sites, who are suffering due to the massive collapse caused by the coronavirus crisis.
However, World Heritage is the shared wealth of humankind. Preserving and protecting these valuable assets demand the collective efforts of all the international communities.
