National Trust lecture on cultural tourism
View(s):“A single world heritage nomination for Sri Lanka’s post colonial fortifications” is the title of the 116th National Trust lecture to be delivered by Deshamanya Vidya Jyothi Ashley De Vos at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 6.30p.m. on Thursday, May 30.
This project, that commenced many years ago, was an attempt to make a single nomination to world heritage that identified and brought together all existing colonial fortifications around the island. The study was intended to examine these colonial monuments not only from a historical context but also, with a serious consideration to enhance a sustainable use value for each monument.
Ultimately, the concept seeks to minimize gentrification of the remaining colonial fortifications. This simple concept was first put forward by de Vos in 1975 in an effort to protect the Fort of Galle. However, today what you see is what transpires when basic ideas and concepts are overlooked and more grandiose schemes are encouraged. This talk will concentrate mostly on a visual presentation – an examination of the existing world heritage sites in Sri Lanka to understand what role an overabundance of cultural tourism can play in the degradation of these events or sites. It will then go on to form an introduction to the 36 colonial fortifications that have been identified around the island. There are a few more that are still to be identified.
Ashley de Vos is the Senior Vice President of the National Trust.Trained as an architect, a landscape architect, in conservation and heritage management and in urban renewal, he is a Fellow of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects and Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects for 46 years.
Further information can be obtained from the Trust Office Tel 2682730 / 0778081214 at the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.