Asante traditional buildings: survey and condition assessment
HANEY, Gina, WILLIAMSON, Emily, MORISET, Sébastien, 2014. Asante traditional buildings: survey and condition assessment. New-York : World Monuments Fund. 163 p.
Abstract
In 2012, the International Centre for Earth Construction – National School of Architecture of Grenoble (CRAterre-ENSAG) and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) submitted a proposal for possible inclusion of the Asante Traditional Buildings (ATBs) to the 2012 World Monuments Fund (WMF) Watch list. Nominated for its strong symbolic, social, religious, and historical value as well as its link to the historical memory of surrounding communities and larger Asante culture, the distinct and unique artistic values of the buildings as embodied in the intricate earthen decorative elements were also highlighted1. It was this artistic value that led to the previous inscription of the ATBs to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 1980.
The objectives of the survey and baseline condition assessment are to help inform a comprehensive project targeting the restoration of selected buildings as well as a community-based development strategy for the collection of ATBs. It is hoped that this project would be supported by the AFCP and managed by WMF.
A private, non-profit organization founded in 1965, WMF has worked in over 90 countries to preserve global heritage. Since 2012, WMF has been interested in the long-term preservation and promotion of the ATBs. In this respect, WMF convened a team of experts from Community Consortium and CRAterre to undertake the 2014 mission to Ghana. This mission was carried out with members from the GMMB, Kumasi Regional Office and concluded with strategic planning meetings with GMMB in Accra.
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