Royal Palaces of Abomey

• Absence of a national legislative mechanism for the protection of cultural heritage (issue resolved in 2007, but significant again in 2020)
• Major deterioration of almost 50% of the earthen structural components (issue resolved in 2007, but significant again in 2020)
• Lack and loss of documentation on the site (issue resolved in 2007, but significant again in 2020)
• Lack of presentation and interpretation at the site
• Lack of sharing of knowledge between site managers and among authorities
• Need to distinguish between the site museum and the World Heritage site
• Lack of effective firefighting measures
• Need to improve the governance, communication, organization and implementation of mechanisms for monitoring, coordination and involvement of the different parties concerned
• Need to revise the risk management plan as well as the plan for the management, conservation and enhancement of the property
• Need to take priority measures for the prevention of fire risks

Total amount granted: USD 450,000 from the Government of Japan and from the Riksantikvaren (Norwegian Cultural Heritage Directorate); USD 50,365 through funding from the Netherlands; USD 100,000 in 2021-2022 through UNESCO/Government of Norway cooperation

On 28 January 2021, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/323/documents/. This provides responses to requests of the Committee at its 43rd session in Decision 43 COM 7B.103. A World Heritage Centre/lCOMOS/lCCROM Reactive Monitoring mission due to be undertaken in December 2021 was undertaken in February-March 2022. The mission report is also available at the above-mentioned web address.

It is noted that on 28 May 2021, after the finalization of the state of conservation report submitted to the 44th extended session of the Committee, the State Party had also submitted a memorandum which provided details on a study commissioned by a French architect on modifications to the project for the creation of the Museum of the Kings and Amazons of Danxomè (MURAD) and a first version of an Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA). A revised HIA was submitted in December 2021, the final version followed in February 2022.

On 25 February 2022, ICOMOS submitted to the State Party a Technical Review (TR) of the revised proposals for the museum projects and the revised version of the HIA, which covered both the museum project and conservation of the palaces.

The State Party report includes the following:

• Various studies are underway to inform the development of a specific restoration plan based on adequate surveys and research;
• During 2022, the National Agency for the Promotion of Heritage and Tourism Development (ANPT for "Agence Nationale de promotion des Patrimoines et de développement du Tourisme") will gradually implement a vast conservation and tourism development programme which will encompass the following:

• Rehabilitation of the official palaces of kings Ghézo, Glèlè, Agoli-Agbo and Gbéhanzin (Dowomè),
• Relocation of the former headquarters of the Management Board of the Royal Families of Abomey (CAFRA) and the development of a new headquarters in the backyard of the Dowomè Palace,
• Redevelopment of the IFAN (Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire) site into visitor reception, offices, conservation workshops, storage facilities and car park,
• Undertaking studies on the layout of exhibition rooms in the proposed New Museum,
• Installing appropriate fire detection systems in the main buildings;
  • The 2022 Annual Work Plan of the Ministry of Culture will provide for the implementation of a Risk and Disaster Management Plan for the property. To inform the Plan, a pre-assessment mission to consider the level of fire safety at the property was carried out;
  • Pending the implementation of future major practical fire prevention measures, firewalls have been rehabilitated around palaces;

• The State’s authority at the property has been re-affirmed as evidenced by the demolition in 2021 of a new construction in front of the Akaba Palace;
• Since the end of 2021, encroachment of the property has been considerably reduced as a result of:

• Awareness raising sessions for local residents,
• The intention to erect notices in 2022 throughout the buffer zone,

• A new governance model will be implemented shortly.

In addition to the report submitted by the State Party, the present analysis takes also into consideration the findings of the 2022 joint Reactive Monitoring mission to the property.

The State Party has re-affirmed its authority at the property and supported continuing measures to address illegal development and encroachment of the property. It is noted that further urgently needed measures to improve governance and financial management are envisaged. As pointed out by the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission, this is growingly important with a view to the new museum as it is essential that the management of the property and the museum be merged to ensure that the conservation, management and promotion of the palaces, their history and symbolism, are reinforced by the museum project rather than being subordinated to it.

The HIA that was provided prior to the mission covered both the new museum and the restoration projects for four palaces. Following receipt of revised plans and an HIA in May 2021, discussions were held with the State Party resulting in a modified HIA submitted in December 2021. This was addressed by an ICOMOS TR submitted to the State Party in February 2022. The TR noted the benefits of the proposed reduction in size of the museum indicating the preferred option that was presented and considered to be possible in principle. It also indicated that overall the proposals may lead to a slight negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and that these negative impacts needed to be assessed further, notably as the museum project's conceptualisation at large develops, with appropriate mitigation measures identified and revised plans submitted for review.

Proposed modifications to the designs of the new museum have been made, as requested by the Committee to make it less dominant, so that the Amazon court continues to be intelligible as a large ceremonial open space. As the recent Reactive Monitoring mission has revealed, there is a unanimous understanding by all the local communities of Abomey that placing the museum in this court, which acts as a link between the different royal families, would support the unity and social cohesion of the communities. Indeed, although the downscaled volume of the museum would reduce the depth of the occupation of the Amazon court, the mission confirmed that it would retain good legibility and circulation between the palaces and would allow the continuation of the performance of traditional ceremonies by the local communities and the royal families.

While the question of the location of the museum appears to have now been cleared, more clarification will be needed to ensure that the project integrates all measures to avoid negative impact to the OUV of the property. The revised museum will now contain only exhibition spaces, but without indicating whether storage and conservation spaces for objects are included, while the other spaces and services for secondary uses of the museum, such as restaurant, museum shop, crafts workshops, cultural events, etc. would be relocated in the various palaces and the old IFAN building. However, the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission stressed that a comprehensive integrated plan should be developed to provide a clear and complete assessment of all aspects of the museum project and on how the new proposal reintegrate the function of the components within the property.

Moreover, the technical details concerning the treatment of the surface of the Amazon court, the materials to be used for the museum, the functional links between the different spaces, the access of visitors, the scenario and the scenography of the exhibition, the cultural and scientific programming, as well as the detailed timetable of its implementation are to be clearly clarified in the integrated plan. Studies are said to be completed in 2022 and the construction work would be carried out in 2023 and 2024. It is therefore essential that these elements are developed and submitted as soon as possible to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by the Advisory Bodies.

The TR also noted that the proposed conservation project, as defined in the HIA, covered only four of the palaces and thus only part of the World Heritage property and should be extended to cover all ten palaces, as requested by the Committee. The conservation work could be undertaken in stages, but full details of the overall proposed conservation work need to be defined, planned, programmed, budgeted and submitted for review to the World Heritage Centre before work commences.

While the link between the new museum and the conservation project needs to be further clarified in the integrated plan, significant progress has been made with the Museum project over the past two years. The work on drafting the urgently needed Recovery/Conservation plan should be accelerated. There is also concern that in advance of the plan being drafted it is stated that the ANPT will start a programme of rehabilitation work on four of the palaces in 2022.

Fire protection measures are being designed and will be implemented as part of the ANPT programme, while preparation of an overall Risk and Disaster Management Plan for the property was foreseen for 2022 that should be integrated in the management plan of the site to the effect of considering the property and the new museum within it.

Finally, it is to be noted that since September 2022, the State Party and UNESCO have been engaged in revising the Framework Agreement that was initially signed in 2017. This Agreement includes a large-scale project for the "Strengthening, safeguarding and promoting the tangible and intangible, cultural and historical heritage of Benin", for an amount of USD 4,85 million. It is hoped that the Agreement will become effective and operational (at the time of finalisation of the present report, it was not yet signed) and will then provide capacity-building for professionals to protect and promote the property and provide technical and scientific support for the development of the new museum, with the ambition to make Benin a centre of expertise in the field of museums and heritage, and for the promotion of sustainable tourism.