When the rich make war,
the poor are suffering
(Erik Satie)
Published on 13 February 2013
Type: Blog
We generally focus here on the demand side of the illicit antiquities trade – the museums, auction houses, collectors and dealers who buy plundered antiquities, providing the economic fuel that keeps looters digging. Our friends at the Sustainable Preservation Initiative (SPI) have developed a promising paradigm for attacking the problem at its source—the impoverished communities where archaeological sites are frequently located. Here’s a guest post from SPI’s Rebekah Junkermeier on that model and a new crowdfunding campaign to expand it.
Tourists at Pampas Gramalote
Our second project at Pampas Gramalote, Peru, is well on its way to the same type of success. The story of master gourd carver and designer Ivan Cruz there is a moving one. Before SPI, Ivan always struggled to make ends meet: “At first it was difficult, as I had to work at a number of jobs to support my family — as a house painter, as a brick mason, in my parents’ fields fumigating, weeding, and harvesting.” An SPI grant gave Ivan the entrepreneurial opportunity he needed to capitalize on his artistic abilities. He and local archaeologist Gabriel Prieto were able to build an artisan studio where he can create more artwork and train other local residents and a store where all of their works can be sold. He is now a proud and independent entrepreneur making a living by utilizing Pampas Gramalote and other local sites in a non-destructive manner. “I understand how my work can help preserve the art [of traditional gourd carving] and foster appreciation for such an important archaeological site as Pampas Gramalote.”
(Source: http://chasingaphrodite.com/2013/02/13/people-not-stones-fighting-looting-with-local-development/)
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