Africa World Heritage Day 2021: Levers for Building the Africa We Want

In 2015, May 5 was proclaimed African World Heritage Day by the 38th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Each year on this special date, African cultural and natural, tangible and intangible heritage is celebrated across the globe -- creating awareness of the benefits of promoting and preserving African cultural heritage, as well as the associated challenges faced on the continent.

Among the hurdles -- climate change, armed conflict and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

All despite which Africa's nations must ensure their rich and diverse cultural heritage is able to -- not only survive but also adapt and thrive in today's world.

As such, the African Union (AU) declared 2021 as the “AU Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want”.

In celebration of this day this year, UNESCO -- in collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and their partners, is organising a series of events across the continent.

Events such as virtual concerts, webinars and the annual youth forum, that will highlight the resilience, opportunities, and wealth to be gained from African heritage --  as well as explore forward-moving solutions to see Africa thrive within an ever more digital global landscape.