News in Conservation, April 2016

Author: IIC

Year of publication: 2016

Volume: 53

Publisher: News in Conservation, International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works,

Place published: London

Abstract: Welcome to NiC’s second thematic issue on the destruction and trafficking of cultural heritage. Last year, prompted by the incessant delivering of news about the situation in the Middle East that dominated the media and the public opinion, we felt that it was our duty to open up a discussion about cultural heritage. A year on, and unfortunately the bad news has kept coming, leaving me in no doubts that a second issue on the theme of cultural heritage in danger was needed. This issue looks at the theme of heritage in times of conflict from a different angle, exploring aspects such as trafficking, looting and the markets that these activities fuel. The first contribution comes from Deborah Lehr, founder of The Antiquities Coalition, a non-profit organisation working with governments across the Middle East to fight against antiquities trafficking and its use in funding terrorism and organised crime. Following on, NiC interviewed Dominica D’Arcangelo from Heritage Without Borders to get an update on their activities in post-conflict countries. Peter Stone, UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University talks about the challenges of preventing damage to cultural properties in conflict zone. I hope you will agree that the work that these organisations and these people do is inspiring and needs to be showcased, shared and celebrated and hopefully this issue of NiC will represent a little contribution to doing just that. Barbara Borghese Editor