Culture Ministry ensures preservation of cultural identity

Angola follows UNIDROIT 1995

Published on 20 August 2011

Author(s): Angola Press

Type:  News

The Angolan government is engaged in preservation of the cultural heritages of the country, under the Convention of International Institute for Unification of Law/1995 (UNIDROIT), said Friday the director of Planning and Statistics Office of Culture Ministry, Afonso Valentim.

The official was speaking during a lecture on “Stolen or illegally exported cultural heritages/1995, which supports the disposition of Unesco Convention of 1979”.

The training, information and awareness meeting of stakeholders and other actors of civil society on convention and recommendations, is intended to respond, at the international level, to the problems related to the pillage, theft and unlawful export of cultural heritage.

According to Afonso Valentim, the ratification of convention came to protect the heritage and awakening the population on the values of pieces of the arts.

He also said that the Unidroit convention of 1995 covers all objects of cultural importance under a public institution, such as those belonging to the local communities, indigenous or tribes, accordingly with the article 2 and 3.

The official added that the State can resort to the other State's court and private owned institution for the return of the stolen pieces.

UNIDROIT is an independent inter-governmental organisation with the headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Angola has currently a network of museums in operation (in a total of 14), while others as "Moeda", "Diamante", "Petróleos" and "Desporto" await to open.

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