Progress made on the Barotse Cultural Landscape

—–Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mwangala Liomba, says good progress has been made so far towards inscribing the Barotse Plains, now called the Barotse Cultural Landscape, as a World Heritage Site.

Speaking when he officiated at the stakeholders’ consultative meeting held at Ngulu Hotel organized by the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC), Mr Liomba revealed that since 2007 National Heritage Commission has been collaborating very well with government and the Barotse Royal Establishment on making the landscape a World Heritage Site.

Mr Liomba stated that the purpose of the meeting was for NHCC to create awareness and share information about world heritage issues while waiting the nomination of the Barotse Cultural Landscape, adding that its nomination dossier was undergoing refining.

Mr Liomba also said the other basis on the meeting was to form the pilot management committees comprising the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) and relevant government departments and institutions as this was a requirement.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary outlined that once the Barotse Cultural Landscape became a World Heritage Site, there would be need to manage it properly in order to deal with issues such as threats and concerns that could affect the landscape.

And speaking earlier, NHCC Executive Director, Collins Chipote, explained that his institution was approached on the issue that the country was having proper natural heritage sites that could be converted to universal values and among them the Barotse Cultural Land Scape.

Mr Chipote said it was for this reson that since 2007 to-date NHCC has been considering working on the Barotse Cultural Landscape on inscribing it as a World Heritage Site because of the culture and value of the people of Western province which should be properly reserved.