Mot de la présidente

Dear friends and partners,

We believe that the pressing issue of heritage preservation in Africa is linked, among other things, to the poverty of ever-growing populations, a lack of planning strategies capable of minimising the effects of climate change, the injustice faced by women in traditional community organisations, concerns about good governance in Africa, as well as high illiteracy rates and youth unemployment.

And yet, the potential of African localities in terms of heritage is enormous. These are cosmopolitan populations presenting great cultural diversity. Indigenous peoples have preserved the essence of their traditional way of life despite the strong pressure of modern civilisations. Regions can still boast their biodiversity, historical remains, beautiful landscapes and very dense hydrological networks.

However, in these developing countries, strong pressure on natural heritage is causing often irreversible degradation. Thus, if nothing is done, all this potential will be entirely ruined. The question is how the regions of Africa can continue their development by striking the right balance between their environmental concerns, their legitimate development ambitions and the respect of their social, community and cultural values, to guarantee the lives of future generations.

From the above, it is urgent to work towards the establishment of a society in which populations have the capacity to valorise and sustainably and equitably manage these resources — a society that strengthens solidarity, gives women their right to equality with men, and promotes the integration of young people.

In order to embrace the ideals of such a society and determined to voluntarily dedicate itself to any initiative aimed at ensuring the fulfilment of populations without any discrimination, the NGO Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Community Life in Africa (PCVCDA) opens its doors to you.