The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Ethiopia targets to have further 14 world heritages inscribed on UNESCO list during the second Growth and Transformation Plan period.
Alongside the global recognition, the plan aims at preserving and handing over the nation’s ancient values and heritages to posterity, Ministry Public and International Relations Director Gezahegn Abate said.
Over 50,000 heritages have been registered at national level while ten of them are registered under UNESCO, he further underlined.
Ethiopian Timket (Epiphany), Shadey/Ashenda and the Oromo Geda system are among the intangible heritages to be registered during the reported period.
Registering heritages at national and international levels is crucial to protect them from illegal actions, according to Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritages Public and International Relations Director Fanta Beyene.
The Director further stated registering heritages and keeping them in museums would enable to use them for research.
Focus will be given to gathering, protecting and preserving tangible and intangible heritages alongside ensuring economic benefits of the community and the country as a whole.
Expanding hotels and lodges around national parks, availing internet services and road networks are among activities being undertaking by the government to extend tourists’ stay around the destinations.
The Meskel festival, the finding of the True Cross and Fiche Chamballala are Ethiopia’s heritages inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
Ethiopia is the leading country in Africa for registering over ten tangible and intangible heritages by UNESCO and many more heritages are on the pipeline to join the prestigious list.
Heritages should be registered at the national level before their formal submission at UNESCO.
According to the Ministry, over 910,000 tourists visited the country last fiscal year which generated some 3.4 billion USD as the nation’s image improves.
Despite budgetary limitation, the Ministry in collaboration with the local community and UNESCO is also undertaking maintenance activities on ancient heritages.
Source: The Ethiopian Herald
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