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Role of Cultural Resource Management in National Development and Related Challenges Brettonwoods International Journal of Socio-Economic and Financial Studies, Vol. 1, No.2, September, 2018. ROLE OF CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED CHALLENGES. STUDY OF SELECTED CULTURAL RESOURCES IN NIGERIA. IFEGBO, L.I. Ph.D DEPARTMENT OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT, IMO STATE UNIVERSITY Abstract Realistically, the antiquities of a nation are the major repository of its cultural heritage, and the pivot of tourism development worldwide, vis-à-vis the pillar of nations’ economies. A great deal of Nigeria’s valuable resources, despite their potential for economic profitability have suffered abject neglect and treated with levity over the decades. This prevailing situation, in no small measure has remained a setback from contributing their own quota to national development. Besides, they have been met with the challenging effects of colonialism, losses through destruction, stealing, vandalization, and smuggling. Ethnographic and historical methods were adopted for the study. Using some selected cultural resources in Nigeria, the study sort to find out whether there is a relationship between cultural resource management (CRM) and national development, identified the role of CRM in national growth, as well as possible challenges in transforming them for this purpose. Findings showed that CRM and national development are related. It was deduced that government has made some moves to transform these resources for the nation’s development, but its input is yet to be felt and the major militating factors were outlined including lack of funds, enforcement agencies, amongst others. Collaborative efforts among the government at all levels, the custodians of the cultural properties and tourism planners must be fruitful in the struggle for national development. With the participation of all the stakeholders, the right approach to the process of development is attained and the nation’s cultural resources will be more profitable and highly relevant to national development. Keywords: Cultural Resource Management, National Development, Challenges, museums, Tourism. 106 Brettonwoods International Journal of Socio-Economic and Financial Studies, Vol. 1, No.2, September, 2018. Introduction The nations valued cultural resources which are the pivot of tourism development worldwide and a pillar to nations’ economics, has remained in a state of jeopardy in Nigeria. Past literatures have long emphasized on the fast extinction, varied distortions and neglect over the rich cultural heritages of the multi-ethnic country. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups with Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani as the major groups, including other perceived minor groups (Onyima, 2016), and each of them has their unique cultural resources. Cultural resources are those tangible and intangible aspects of a cultural aspects of a cultural system, both living and the dead, that are valued by or representatives of a given culture or that contain information about a culture (Wikipedia Contributors, 2014). They refer to the rich non- material and material attributes acquired within a society and transmitted through generations, including diverse beliefs, festival, diet, architecture, dances, drama, iron works, wood and stone carvings(Lipe, 1984). It is the sum total of the people’s arts, customs, festivals, sacred and worship sites, norms, values, ideologies, dress and dress-patterns, traditional monuments and architecture, technology and technological sites and other artifacts. These items of culture have long been cherished for their historical, political, educational, recreational and religious significance among others. On this premise, the Holy lands of Israel, Jerusalem and Mecca pull millions of world population every year to their homes due to the religious importance of their culture, and therefore serves as a popular aspect of tourism. The importance of cultural resource to nations span from economic, touristic, aesthetic, educational and research needs. With Nigeria’s rich cultural inheritance, they are highly opportune to benefit immensely if their numerous cultural activities are well preserved and developed. Through proper packaging and advertising, the economy will be enhanced, and the much needed foreign earning and GDP will rise, providing surplus fund for other aspects of 107 Brettonwoods International Journal of Socio-Economic and Financial Studies, Vol. 1, No.2, September, 2018. development in the country. In addition, through cultural patronage, people of different ethnic groups meet, reach a more understanding and live more peacefully as a nation. Notwithstanding the enumerated benefits, studies have maintained that Nigeria’s cultural endowments, whether ethnographic or archeological are still subjected to intensive acts of smuggling, illicit trade, burglary and at times, total destruction(Arinze,2007). Those in museum collections are disappearing and decaying due to poor management, where festivals are fast becoming extinct. Without proper management, the roles which these items of culture should have performed in the national development remain far-fetched. From the perspective of this study, management can be defined as effective utilization of an organization’s human, physical, financial and other resources to achieve set goals. Accordingly, Graffin (1996) states that “management in involves a set of activities including planning and decision making, organizing, leading and controlling directed at an organization’s resources”. From this perspective it depicts that management is a process by which scarce resources are the human and material resources which are usually employed in organizations to accomplish designated goals. The term ‘Cultural resource management’ is essentially a process by which the protection and management of the multitudinous but scarce elements of culture are given some considerations in a modern world, with an expanding population and needs(Kings,2002). It involves those practices that promote, preserve, conserve and enlighten the use of ethnographic and archeological resources for research, entertainment and education purposes. So much legislations have been enacted to this effect, starting with the Antiquities Ordinance of 1943 to the latest obligation to the National Commission for Museum and Monument(NCMM), and to register and document all antiquities both in public and private collections. Regretably, these 108 Brettonwoods International Journal of Socio-Economic and Financial Studies, Vol. 1, No.2, September, 2018. measures have remained unavailing to the transformation of Nigeria’s enormous cultural resources to economic wealth and development. This paper sought to identify Nigeria’s cultural resources for national development and the militating factors to this effect, alongside with some recommendations. Objective of the Study The general objective of the study is to examine the relevance of the cultural resource management in Nigeria to national development and the associated challenges. The specific objectives are to: i) To determine the relationship between national development and cultural resource management. ii) To identify any possible challenges in the role of cultural resources to national development. iii) To evaluate its potentials for national development. Review of Related Literature Concept of Cultural Resource Management Cultural resources are the rich non-material and material attributes acquired within a society and transmitted through generations, such as the diverse beliefs, festivals, diets, architecture, dances, drama, iron works, wood and stone carving(Okpoko, 2007). They are otherwise called cultural heritage, and known as the cherished characteristic features of a society passed down from generation to generation through conscious preservation (Onyima, 2018). Cultural resources therefore, refer to the riches of extinct or extant societies which are of historic, educational, recreational, and economic importance, preserved and handed over from one generation to another. Furthermore, 109 Brettonwoods International Journal of Socio-Economic and Financial Studies, Vol. 1, No.2, September, 2018. cultural resource management (CRM) is essentially a process by which the protection and management of the multitudinous but scarce elements of cultural heritage are given some considerations in a modern world, with expanding population and expanding needs (King, 2002). It involves those practices that promote preservation, conservation, and enlightened use of archaeological resources for research and education purposes. CRM is the professional practice, the methods and philosophies of dealing with archaeological sites and data, including artifacts (Wester, 2007). Lipe (1988) pointed out that CRM grew from a worldwide modern movement towards a more responsible approaches to our environment, both natural and cultural. More so, the concerns about sites, professional ethics, and site destruction, coupled with the complaints about looting and vandalism which dates back to 1920’s gave more prominence to cultural resource management (Wesler, 2007). The modern CRM has advanced from the loss of the fragile resources to the awareness of our own responsibilities towards those resources and our role of stewardship for future generations of scholars and the general public. Andah (2007) emphasized that institutions in the form of National Boards of Tourism, Historical Sites and Monuments are usually responsible for planning, developing and transmitting information about cultural resources
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