The Prince Claus Cultural Emergency Response programme

The Archival Platform was delighted to receive an email from the Prince Clause Fund’s Cultural Emergency Response (CER) programme, complimenting us on our website and asking us to assist in indentifying cultural heritage places or objects that have been affected by the upheavals and floods that have placed African heritage under threat in recent months, so that the CER could offer affected communities assistance to safeguarding and restoring their cultural heritage

If your community has been affected by man-made or natural disasters and requires quick and effective financial aid to stabilize or restore cultural heritage please contact the CER on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or visit the CER website for details of the procedure to follow if you are in need of support.

About the Prince Claus Fund’s Cultural Emergency Response programme

Launched in 2003 in reaction to the looting and demolition of artworks from the National Museum of Iraq, the CER believes that rescuing cultural heritage provides hope and consolation to affected communities and thereby contributes to restoring human dignity, continuity and a sense of identity. The guiding principle of the Prince Claus Fund is that culture is a basic human need, and is therefore essential for the psychological survival of people in emergency situations.

The CER aims to provide quick and effective financial aid to cultural heritage that have been damaged or destroyed by man-made or natural disaster. It regards cultural emergency relief as being an integral part of humanitarian emergency relief and concentrates on stabilising the situation and preventing further damage.

Relying on its international network for the identification of cultural emergencies, CER seeks to implement its cultural emergency relief actions in direct cooperation with local partners in the affected communities. Contributions from CER’s own resources are generally limited to €35.000 per action. Where necessary, CER also endeavours to secure additional support by approaching and engaging other partners.
Since 2003, the CER has carried out more than 70 cultural emergency relief actions in over 30 countries worldwide, amongst which Afghanistan, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Lesotho, Lebanon, Morocco, Mozambique, Peru, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Yemen.

See information about two of the CER’s recent projects, below.

The Stabilisation, restoration and digitisation of the Cinémathèque Africaine, Burkina Faso

Alerted by media reports to the devastating impact of the 2009 floods in Ouagadougou on the Cinémathèque Africaine, the Prince Claus Fund CER’s assistance.
Often referred to as the “memory of African cinema” the Cinémathèque’s unique collection of over 3,500 films includes some of the greatest and oldest works of African filmmakers from across the continent. The archive is particularly valuable for its films from the colonial period (1920-1960) and from modern African filmmakers (1960-2000). In many cases the copies in its collection are the only ones known to exist.

Muddy floodwaters rose to over 2 metres in some of the storage areas, destroying one third of the film collection, as well as audio-visual, projection and office equipment and the archives.
Based on the exceptional value of the collection and the urgency to treat the damaged film reels to prevent their further deterioration, CER has made a grant of 35,000 Euro available to the Cinémathèque to stabilise, restore and digitise its extraordinary collection.

Saving Haiti’s vulnerable archives and important library collections

On 17 March 2011 the Secretary General of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Jennefer Nicholson and the Director of the Prince Claus Fund, Christa Meindersma, signed the contract that will enable a joint action to save Haiti’s vulnerable archives and important library collections. Thanks to the support of ICCO and Kerk in Actie, the Prince Claus Fund has been able to provide € 242,500 for the restoration of these important documents. In turn, this contribution is creating a solid foundation for Haiti’s cultural reconstruction.

The damage of the archives and libraries threatens the conservation of Haitian cultural history and at the same time it profoundly affects the country’s society as a whole. Numerous Haitians have been desperately searching for official papers such as marriage certificates, permits and other important documents. For many victims, the safeguarding of these documents represents the first step in a restoration process as it contributes to the recovery of the people’s identity. In co-operation with both local and international partners such as Blue Shield, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and the International Council of Archives, the Prince Claus Fund and ICCO have set up an operational centre to co-ordinate the securing of the collections still buried under the rubble. All the archives and library collections found beneath the debris will be treated at the Port-au-Prince centre by a team of approximately 300 national and 700 international experts. Working on a voluntary basis, the international experts help to train and support the local professionals. Once they have been treated, the documents will be stored in acclimatized containers where they will be kept safely until they are to be transferred to a permanent place. This project will help to sustain the blueprint of Haiti’s cultural identity. Through the archives and historical library collections, Haitians will be able to reconstruct the community that existed before this devastating earthquake. The Prince Claus Fund believes that the preservation of material history is essential to the Haitian people as it helps in the process of rebuilding their country. The project also ensures that library collections and archives can be made open to the public again, giving Haitians the opportunity to draw on information and knowledge. Having access to this collection will eventually contribute to a sustainable reconstruction of the country. Moreover, the libraries offer essential services such as education, especially for people who are currently living in refugee camps.

Source: Prince Clause Fund

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