World Heritage Site nominees here impressive
By Desiree Jodah
Professor Herb Stovel, here to look at cultural buildings proposed by Guyana for inclusion on the World Heritage List, says he is impressed with what he has seen. Stovel a director of the Conservation of the Built Environment Programme of the University of Montreal, a consultant for UNESCO, was taken on a tour of Georgetown to assess the sites proposed by the Guyana National Commission for UNESCO for nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List. The World Heritage List is a compendium of sites which are considered significant to human culture. Having sites on this prestigious list promotes their preservation as it opens the door for technical assistance, gives official recognition, stimulates awareness within the respective countries of their national heritage, and promotes tourism. There are currently 560 sites on the list. According to Stovel, in addition to several buildings within Georgetown that were proposed, he was very impressed with the double-lane boulevards along the streets of Georgetown, the wide open spaces and the many sports grounds in the city. Stovel said that he was also impressed with the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) pavilion. He said that he had been into the pavilion and was pleased to note that the original architecture of the building, said to have been built in 1880, was hardly changed. He stated that Georgetown was one of the more pleasant cities in the Caribbean to move through. Buildings on Main and High streets and the Promenade and Botanic gardens were identified as proposed sites, but Stovel said that he saw many other locations which could form part of the nomination list. Nominations of sites come from members within the country itself. This is then forwarded to UNESCO in Paris to be reviewed. If there is any need, someone from the organisation would travel to the country to have a first-hand look at the sites. Nominations are then sent to the World Heritage Committee, which has representatives from 21 countries, for decisions. Sites are required to have significance to important events, fire protection mechanisms and architectural value. Countries also have to give a commitment to preserve these sites. Stovel said that while no large fund is associated with sites being placed on the list, the World Heritage has a fund for sites in danger. He also suggested yearly awards for persons who have maintained and retained the cultural heritage of their buildings and sites. He said that he agreed with the suggestion of Minister of Culture, Gail Teixeira, to introduce at the technical institutes the art of old style woodwork which was used on buildings by the Dutch and the Colonials. Head of the UNESCO Commission in Guyana, Carmen Jarvis, said that the Kaieteur National Park has also been identified as a site for the list. However, she said, certain laws had to be enacted to extend the park for it to qualify for nomination. The same also has to be done for the cultural heritage sites. She said that the current National Trust Act has to be amended to facilitate the nomination of Georgetown. Jarvis said she was optimistic that this would be done without delay after having met President Janet Jagan, Minister of Education Dale Bisnauth, Teixeira and Environmental Adviser to the President, Navin Chandarpal on the issue. Asked how long it would be before Guyana would know whether it has been selected for placement on the list, Stovel said that it would depend on how long it takes for the necessary legislation to be enacted. He said that the process of selection by the World Heritage Committee would take about a year or more. 
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