Interview
Themba Wakashe
World Heritage Convention
Themba Wakashe is a South African arts, culture and heritage administrator. He holds degrees in drama from Wits University (Johannesburg) and New York University, as well as arts administration from Colombia University.
After studying in the United States in the 1980s, he returned to South Africa where he taught theater and joined the Department of Arts and Culture. He held various positions related to cinema and heritage before becoming Deputy Director General in 2001, then Director General from 2007 to 2010. He also headed the Film and Publication Board from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Wakashe co-edited the book African World Heritage: A Remarkable Diversity (UNESCO, 2013). In 2023, he received the Golden Shield Heritage Award in recognition of his outstanding and lasting contribution to heritage protection.
During his mandate at the Ministry of Arts and Culture, Mr. Wakashe was notably responsible for relations with UNESCO. It is in this capacity that he chaired the World Heritage Committee in 2005 at its 29th session in Durban. It is also under his presidency that the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) was created, intended to help African countries in the implementation of the Convention.
Interview with
Themba Wakashe
May 2023, Virtual
The following audio excerpts are taken from a virtual interview conducted with Themba Wakashe by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in May 2023. Mr. Wakashe recounts his experience as Chair of the Committee in Durban in 2005 and the beginnings of the AWHF. He also reflects on the future of the Convention, calling in particular for a strengthening of the role of Category 2 Centers and a reflection on the use of technology in conservation
- 1. The World Heritage Convention
- 1a. Involvement of Themba Wakashe in World Heritage
- 1b. Cairns reforms, Global Strategy and representativity of the List
- 1c. Successes and failures of the Convention
- 2. The World Heritage Committee
- 3. Category 2 Centres and AWHF
- 4. The commitment of States Parties
- 5. Intentional destruction of World Heritage
- 6. The role of civil society
Oral Archives of the
World Heritage Convention
Under the leadership of the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the University of Montreal, an international team of researchers conducts interviews with pioneers of World Heritage to capture memories of important moments in the history of UNESCO Convention.
Launched in 2006, this initiative is part of the UNESCO History project that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of UNESCO. The Oral Archives project records the precious witness of people closely associated with the creation and implementation of the Convention. Their recollections and views have greatly enriched the book by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler, Many Voices, One Vision: The Early Years of the World Heritage Convention (Ashgate/Routledge, 2013).
