First aid to Cultural Heritage. Training initiatives on rapid documentation

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Recent dramatic events have brought to the forefront the debate on how to protect, safeguard and document Cultural Heritage in conflict areas. Heritage places have become battlefields, sources of illicit trafficking and even deliberate targets of destruction because of the politicisation to further conflict ideologies as well as misinterpretation of the values they represent. Is it possible to protect Cultural Heritage under such circumstances? If yes, when is the right time to intervene and who can help in this task? How can documentation and training assist?The International Course on First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis promoted by ICCROM (The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) in collaboration with various partners focuses specifically on ways to help in such difficult and stressful situations. This paper explores the methodological approach and highlights the special circumstances that surround rapid documentation and preliminary condition assessment in conflict areas, and in cases of complex emergencies such as an earthquake striking a conflict area. The paper identifies international actors that might play a special and crucial role in the first steps of such a situation and recognizes the need for training activities to strengthen capacities for disaster response to cultural heritage at national and regional levels.

The Documentation and Protection of Cultural Heritage During Emergencies

“…The ability of mobile phones to be used in different conditions and in a safe environment 5 for the users opens up new possibilities for the communication of the heritage sites in danger, to support engagement and learning at different levels, as well as establishing a link between the heritage organization and its users that can be shared with internationals police departments. Apart from this one-to-one connection, the natural use of social networking via mobile devices also allows for the creation of communities and networking among diverse user groups themselves (Economou, 2015).…”