METUJFA 1993 (13:1-2)5-15 AN EVALUATION OF ICCROM'S GUIDELINES FOR WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES WITH REFERENCE TO PAKISTAN Yasmin CHEEMA Received : 31.1.1995 The aim of this article is to review the document 'Management Guidelines for Keywords: Conservation, Culture, Cultural the World Cultural Heritage Sites* with regard to its relevance and effectiveness Heritage, 'learned Societies'. for Pakistan. 1. ICCROM stands for, 'International Cen­ ter for Study of the Preservation and the The purported objective of the 'Management Guidelines*, published by ICCROM, Restoration of Cultural Property". I am is to 'provide advice and suggestions for implementing the intentions of the using the term 'West' and 'Western' to refer World Heritage Conventions'. It 'contains information which will be useful to tothe industrialized countries of Europe and North America. all state parties to the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage' (Feilden and Jokilehto, 1993,1). The hundred and twen­ ty-two page publication is supposed to be a bible of sorts for all conservation activities around the World. For anyone interested in conservation, the Manual is a useful document. It provides 'guidelines' on most of the issues related to conservation. Based primarily on the Venice Charter, the Manual gives guidance on: (a) the degrees of interventions; (b) the management of cultural heritage sites; (c) staffing and personnel services; (d) maintenance programmes; (e) management of resource projects and town-planning of world heritage sites, etc. The issues of tourism and visitors to the sites have also been considered important enough to be dealt with separately, at chapter-length. Professionally sound, the Manual would have been of even greater value had it been culturally neutral as well. Unfortunately, it is not. Its prescriptions cor­ respond generally to the conditions prevailing in the countries of its authors and publishers, i.e. the West (1). 6 METU JFA 1993 YASMIN CHEEMA Figure 1. Lahore Fort, Jahangir's Quad­ rangle, 1617-18 (Photograph: Bakirer Col­ lection, 1980). EigureiLahore Fort, Central Plan (Photograph: *l «lakes assumptions which become invalid when applied to countries in the BataterCollection, 1980). non-Western world, South Asia, for instance. It prescribes action that has no relevance to the reality in the developing countries. Consider, for example, the following; for raising money to finance conservation projects, the Manual sug­ gests: Although depending in a large part on a state grant whose aim should be to preserve the site and finance research studies, the Commission should be allowed to raise money from tourists in order to develop the site.. (Feilden and Jokilehto, 1993,4); and on page 97: Mass tourism now part of our culture and international economy, second only to the oil industry. While mass tourism may be a part of the Western culture and may have become 'second only to the oil industry*, enabling the generation of important revenues for conservation purposes, it is definitely not so in countries like Pakistan, India, Nepal or Bangladesh. In these countries, let alone tourism revenues, state grants EVALUATION OF ICCROM'S GUIDELINES METU JFA 1993 7 Figure 5, Shalimar Gardens, Lowest Ter­ race, Lahore; the plots were grassed during the British period (Photograph: Bakirer Collection 1980) ^ >X\ it*" .* "i/ $ # S^^ İVLM'rtifth ite ; «m.^. Figure 6. Shalimar Gardens, Lahore; restora­ for the purpose of conservation are not forthcoming. As a consequence, with or tion of pathways (Photograph: Bakirer Col­ without this Manual, the sites keep deteriorating with little or no hope of any lection, 1989). remedial measures. 2. The term 'learned society' is used by the Western scholars with the assumption that But this excessively Western perspective of the Manual is the least exceptionable knowledge is produced in Ihc 'advanced' in­ part of it. More disturbing is its cultural condescension and its blatant promotion dustrialized world and flows the so called of Western expertise for conservation activities around the world. In a tone 'Developing Countries'. It was used by Sir John Marshall, Director General of The Department bordering almost on arrogance, the Manual suggests as 'the selection of experts of Archaeological Survey India in context to the can be difficult', that 'learned societies (!) and/or professional institutions are sub-continent in 1902-3, while explaining his one source of names' (Feilden and Jokilehto, 1993,48)(2). It goes without saying intentions in the publication of the Annual that 'learned societies* in this context mean the 'Western countries'. Once the Reports of the department. He explained that his intentions were to show that the Depart­ 'experts' from 'learned societies' have been found, the authors suggest they ment, so Ear from looking to monopolize the should work for 7-12 years (Feilden and Jokilehto, 1993, 48). As for their field of research, desires and facilitates the salaries, they remind us: cooperation of every earnest student and learned society', and"... its duty will be therefore to place before European scholars material for The fee of the contractor is difficult to determine because salary levels elucidation rather than to attempt elucidation on in different countries vary greatly ... least all his expenses should be its own account'(Chakrabarti, 1988,127). Further paid, and he should not be asked at a short notice to drop everything by Leonani Wooley a foreign expert' invited by to go on an ill-prepared (mission), a trained person, ideally a past the British government of India in 1938 to advise ' participant of ICCROM or a member of IIC, ICOM or ICOMOS on the current working of The Department of Archaeological Survey of India, who remarked the best methods an agencies for adiieving the speedy and fruitful development of exploration-ac­ tivities in general, consideration in this iegaid being not only to Government but non-official agencies such a universities, learned societies, etc' (Chak­ rabarti, 1988,174). The attitude of the then ruling Western countries towards the countries they had conquei^piw^tflltcday.Moreovaritisobvious that countries like Turkey, which have several reputed Departments of Conservation of Monu­ ments and Sites are not included İn the list of 'learned societies'. As there are no professional inslitutionsof conservation in South Asia, countries belonging to it would hence have todepend on t he experts of the learned Societies' for guidance or advice on such issues. Figure 7. Shalimar Gardens, Middle Ter­ race, Lahore; fountainheads were changed during the British period (Photograph: Bakirer Collection, 1980). 8 METU JFA 1993 YASMINCHEEMA Figure & Thatta, general view (Photograph: Bakirer Collection, 1989). Figure 9. Thatta, Mirza Jani Beg Tomb; the should help enunciate the question which the contractor is required tile tradition ofTimuridsand that of carved to deal with; this helps too in finding the right contractor for the stone of Gujrat (Photograph: Bakirer Col­ problem (Feilden and Jokilehto, 1993,56) (3). lection, 1989). 3. 'Mission', could only mean, thai of a By thus setting out the origin of the expert, the approximate time-frame of his Western expert to a developing country, assignment, the level of his salary, and the scope of his work, the manual seeks where a resource project has not been to assign the task of conservation and preservation of the cultural heritage prepared well. Almost 90% of the teaching exclusively to the Western experts (though with a few exceptions) the world over. staff of the architectural course at ICCROM are from the Western countries, and conser­ This it does by making unspoken assumptions that none of the developing vation techniques they introduce are ap­ countries has any expertise in the field and that it cannot do worthwhile conser­ propriate only for the Western countries. This vation work without proper guidance from the West. If anything, it smacks of leaves the studentsof thedeveloping countries frustrated, as such technological advance­ cultural imperialism. It also promotes the myth that the Western experts are ment has notyet taken place in their countries. qualified to handle any problem, no matter of what nature and however complex. All members of IIC are again from the western countries. ICOMOS and Cultural Heritage Division are a part to the intentions and con­ , Can the western experts, however knowledgeable of modern scientific methods concern­ tent of the document under review. All these ing causes and remedies of material deterioration, understand the cultural complexities organizationsare located iawestern countries. of all countries around the world? The answer in an emphatic no! An example of their Most members and past participants men­ lack of understanding is the attitude of the British towards the Indian monuments and tioned as well as the experts, are from the same countries, a convenient arrangement! The ad­ vantages western countries take from these organizations have been pointed out in the 'Guidelines'itself: 'Alarge number of training programmes were established during while most of them are in Europe, many have been initialed in other continents' (Feilden and Jokitehto, 1993). Howeverthe more objective situation was pointed out by Feilden in his earlier draft of the Guidelines, 'ICCROM ac­ tivities have so far been limited to Europe and North America' (Feilden, 1990,28). Figure 10. Thatta, İsa Khan Tar khan Tomb; the carved stone tradition of Gujrat