News
Sri Lanka’s heritage sector buried in outdated systems, says expert
View(s):- Principal legislation enacted in 1940 by the colonial rule,based on knowledge that existed at the time in Europe
- Sri Lanka is yet to look at heritage management fromown perspectives and enact legislation
- Make use of Kurundi temple controversy to address issues of balancing conservation and faith (which is being discussed globally) as well as the livelihood of people in the locality
By Yomal Senerath-Yapa
Dr. Gamini Wijesuriya
With the controversy at the Department of Archaeology (following the resignation of the Director General Prof. Anura Manatunga) the limelight falls on the matter of our cultural legacy as a nation. Unusually well-bequeathed with sites and artefacts, we seem to be yet unadept at managing and conserving- as recent controversies manifest.
Here Dr. Gamini Wijesuriya, architect and veteran heritage practitioner, talks about a sector vaguely-defined and amorphous in Sri Lanka: heritage; and how to disentangle heritage from archaeology, and ensure our millennia-old patrimony is safeguarded for posterity.
Dr. Wijesuriya is former Director of Conservation at the Department of Archaeology,
A Special Advisor to the Director-General of ICCROM, Rome, Italy and Special Advisor to the Director of WHITRAP Shanghai, China, he is one of 58 persons listed globally by UNESCO as pioneers of world heritage.
What, according to you, ails the
heritage sector in Sri Lanka?
I feel its main issue is relying on outdated legislation, institutional frameworks, and knowledge systems. Plus, a lack of understanding of the evolution of the heritage discourse in the rest of the world over the last few decades also plays a strong part.
If I were to elaborate a little:
Principal legislation governing the heritage sector in Sri Lanka was enacted in 1940 by the colonial rule, based on the knowledge that existed at the time in Europe. Independent Sri Lanka has not looked at heritage management from their own perspectives and enacted legislation.
Heritage is what societies inspire, learn, celebrate and use based on (intrinsic or) attributed values therefore endeavor to protect. It includes but is not synonymous with archaeological sites.
The archaeological value of a given heritage site is only one of many values. All values must be considered in managing heritage. Eg religious, spiritual, historical, sociological, scientific etc.
Assessment of values have to be an inclusive, transparent and a participatory process, not confined to one particular group.
We lack a policy framework that defines heritage and procedures for management, including inventorisation for which we are struggling over the last 130 years.
My book on the Dutch Hospital reveals, how it took 30 years and the involvement of three presidents of the country to bring justice to a heritage building to be opened for public use.
Although the legal role of the Department of Archaeology according to the Antiquities Ordinance is for ‘better preservation of antiquities of the country’(meaning heritage,) some changes to legislation were made in 1998 and this was a further blow to the ailing and already outdated legislation. (ref my RASSL article).
Some of those changes are as follows:
‘heritage’ has been redefined and confined to ‘archaeology’.
The role of the Department of Archaeology has been defined as one that promotes ‘archaeology’.
Top managerial positions are confined exclusively to ‘archaeologists’ .
These changes also deteriorated some of the institutional arrangements that worked well previously. Before 1998, the Department was headed by a variety of professionals with different disciplinary backgrounds: linguists, historians, chemists, architects, archaeologists and so on.
Their added strength to man the department had been their in-service experience in the different areas. eg :
Experience in implementing the law and its standing orders.
Public sector rules and regulations
Public sector human resource management
Public sector procurements
Interdepartmental communication and awareness of different specialist work
Communication skills of handling diverse groups of public including monks
Experience/ training in heritage related issues.
Looking at the global picture, overlooking the above experience and narrowing down the scope to ‘archaeologists’ only has been a backward step in managing heritage. This has also paved the way for political interference.
Except in South Asia which still follows colonial legacy, heritage institutes are not named as Departments of ‘Archaeology’. Even The British who introduced the systems to Sri Lanka now call their heritage institutions as English Heritage and Historic England and is manned by people from different disciplines related to heritage.
You call for a ‘comprehensive review’ of Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage sector. How is this to be achieved?
By resolving the conundrum that exists between archaeology and heritage, which has led to many confusions in the recent past.
By bringing the following entities and recognizing the changes that are needed into a discussion to develop new legislation and policies for the Sri Lankan context.
There are many entities involved (or ought to be involved) in heritage management. The Department of Archaeology, Central cultural fund, Galle Heritage Foundation, Department of National museums, Urban Development Authority, Department of Physical Planning, Local Councils at least the ones which are linked to World Heritage Sites (eg. Galle, Kandy.)
International entities such as UNESCO with their conventions and recommendations have an influence on national heritage issues.
Conventions like World Heritage, Intangible Heritage, Illicit Traffic convention, Underwater Heritage convention and many other recommendations.
The Heritage management discourse has recently evolved considerably by placing people at the heart of the discourse (people-centred approaches) while introducing new paradigms such as Sustainable Development. These include engaging communities and respecting their knowledge and rights in heritage management.
Heritage management is being devolved with the intention of engaging local communities and local authorities rather than being managed from the capital city.
The issue surrounding the Kurundi temple in Mullaitivu has recently drawn attention to the difficulties of conserving archaeological sites while also ensuring people’s land rights. What is your take on this matter?
The key question is whether this is an archaeological site only or a heritage site with archaeological and other values. There is a major global discourse on sacred sites and the rights of communities. Stupas as a depository of relics is a sacred place. We have to respect the sacredness when managing such places and Kurundi is one. We need to develop policies to deal with such sites.
If you look at the Supreme Court determination of the ‘Buddha Sasana’ this can also be part of the Buddha Sasana which has to be treated accordingly and we need policies for that too.
Determination: Article 9 of the Constitution which requires the State to give to Buddhism the foremost place and to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana. The expression Buddha Sasana is wider than Buddhism and includes the entire establishment together with objects and places of religious practices and worship of Buddhists.
We need a more participatory approach when dealing with heritage sites particularly when we know there are issues of the rights of people. This includes land rights too. This is particularly important since the heritage sector has accepted that heritage has a role to play in the lives of people.
Armed with the right legislation and knowledge, the heritage sector should be ready to handle issues of this nature.
The Director General of Archaeology tendered his resignation, reportedly over this matter. How hard is it for those involved in conservation to balance it with the needs of the people in the area, such as farmers?
It is sad to see the resignation but if his intention was to bring justice to heritage, we should make use of this opportunity to address the issues of balancing conservation and faith (which is being discussed globally) as well as the livelihood of people in the locality, in managing our heritage.
This is an opportunity and a case study for a comprehensive review of the heritage sector.
Is the issue surrounding the Kurundi temple a common problem when it comes to conserving such sites, especially in the north and east where there are competing narratives as to whom these locations belonged first? If so, what can be done to minimise such issues?
Location or the land is not the only issue. Heritage matters cannot be resolved exclusively by dealing with land issues. On the other hand, conflicting narratives and values are not uncommon to heritage in Sri Lanka as well as globally. That is the very reason why we need new legal, institutional and intellectual approaches and not rely on outdated systems. This will help minimise conflicts.
(Refer our website sundaytimes.lk to read Dr. Gamini Wijesuriya’s paper published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society in Sri Lanka (RASSL), titled, The future of heritage conservation in Sri Lanka).
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