Commencement of restoration work at the Malekula Culture Centre in Vanuatu

The restoration work of the Malekula Culture Centre has commenced with the assistance of UNESCO.

The Malekula Culture Centre had experienced significant damage to its roofs by Cyclone Pam in March, which caused damage to artefacts, books, and assets at the Centre.

The cyclone impacted tremendously on Vanuatu’s cultural institutions, heritage and community facilities that are living heritage and historical records.

UNESCO assisted the Vanuatu Culture Centre (VCC) to carry out the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) for Culture to assess damages and losses sustained by the culture sector of the country.

Based on the findings and recommendations of the PDNA report, VCC has been actively engaged in the recovery efforts.   It successfully mobilized emergency funding from several development partners, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and UNESCO.

The restoration work of the Centre’s traditional structure will lead to the revitalization of traditional knowledge and skills such as thatching, weaving and environmental management, which are important part of the intangible cultural heritage of the indigenous community in Vanuatu  

The Malekula Culture Centre is located in the island of Malekula and is one of the two VCC’s Sub-Centres.

 

 

 

     

Author: 
PACNEWS