Dr. Webber Ndoro, director general of ICCROM, 'Heritage is our identity... looking forward to cooperation with Korea'

▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows Dr. Webber Ndoro. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows Dr. Webber Ndoro. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, October 14 (Yonhap) -- "Heritage is about our identity. Who we are, and how we define ourselves. It is about today, not what happened in the past. "

Dr. Webber Ndoro, the director general of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), which is considered the top international organization in preserving and restoring heritage, explained the important values of cultural heritage and heritage as above.

ICCROM, having its headquarters in Rome, is one of the advisory bodies of the World Heritage Committee participating in the UNESCO registration of world cultural heritage and natural heritage along with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Director general Dr. Webber Ndoro from Zimbabwe is an expert in the heritage management field who completed a BA in History at the University of Zimbabwe, a Master of Philosophy in Archaeology from Cambridge University, and a Master in Architectural Conservation from York University.

Dr. Ndoro, who has a career at the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, took charge of ICCROM's Africa program, and the Executive Director of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF/C2 Center) has been leading ICCROM for six years since 2017.

During the interview Dr. Ndoro had at the Yonhap News Agency building, he emphasized, "Heritage is about today, not what happened in 1900," and added, "If we can all realize the importance of heritage, it will help us to confront problems together."

Dr. Ndoro explained that the main role of ICCROM is the development and training of experts.

He said, "We have four main programs" and added, "There are programs such as the 'World Heritage Leadership Program' (WHL), led by Eugene Jo, and the 'First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis' (FAR), which was run in Syria and Libya."

He continued emphasizing, "Our role is to make sure that we can understand the needs of that world heritage site in terms of how it's being looked after."

Dr. Ndoro, who recently visited Korea, had a tight schedule, spending time at the Cultural Heritage Administration, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, and more.

On October 7, he accomplished increasing the fund amount from 240 million won to 340 million won for the enforcement of preservation ability of cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific area by extending the agreement of the trust fund with the Cultural Heritage Administration.

ICCROM will be creating their new education curriculum regarding the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) with the new agreement.

Moreover, the organization is planning on expanding their business area of "Educational curriculum of preservation and management of world heritage" from mainly in Asian countries to include Africa, the Middle East, South America, and many more.

Dr. Ndoro spoke up, "I am thankful for the Korean government's contribution."

Dr. Ndoro, who is visiting Korea for the first time, praised the cultural facilities and the main museums of Korea.

He mentioned that he visited Seoul Museum of Craft Art, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and more and said, "I was impressed," "I like the idea of having children's museums specifically for children and the use of digital technology to explain the (cultural heritage)."

He also said, "I think there are lots of investments made by the government in diverse heritage scenes," and "Most of all, I feel like the country cherishes its heritage and makes big investments for the management of it."

Regarding the question asking if there are any weaknesses or parts to improve, he answered, "After looking around several exhibitions, it felt like women's-related things were understated, and I think it would be nice if the roles of women were more emphasized."

At the same time he added, "I have been to many countries, but Korea is comparable to the top countries."

Dr. Ndoro expressed his hope, saying how he wishes to have more connections with South Korea continuously in the future.

He said, "I hope various experts and people in charge of the heritage field in Korea to work with ICCROM by sending them on a regular basis or exchanging experts from both countries," adding, "I am looking forward to actively working with Korea."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)

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