Asante Traditional Buildings from a foreign perspective

The representatives of the following sites and structures in France and Burkina Faso were invited to participate in the workshop and give us their feedback on this experience :
 Vincent Guichard : Director of the EPCC-Grand Site de France Bibracte Mont Beuvray),
 Vérane Pagani (head of mission for the Grand projet du Marais de Brouage jointly led by the Community of Municipalities of the Marennes basin and the Rochefort Océan agglomeration community),
 Lassina Simporé (Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Burkina Faso - MCAT),
 Emmanuel Somé (lawyer, specialist in tourism at the Ministry of Culture of Burkina Faso)
 Lucile Bordet (international action officer at the RGSF).

Which heritage site do you work on?

Lucile Bordet : I work within the Great Sites of France Network, a national association which brings together about fifty local communities in charge of the management of natural and cultural heritage sites that have been awarded the Great Site of France title or have taken the steps to obtain it.

Lassina Simpore & Emmanuel Some: We work on two world heritage sites:

 The Ruins of Loropéni, one of the greatest archeological attractions of Burkina Faso! Dating back several centuries, Loropéni was a majestic fortress that protected the town which, at the time, was a centre for trading gold. The Koulango, the famous local people, took advantage of it to defend themselves from attacks. The ruins are located in a lush forest with nice buildings that are
still well preserved. The ancient iron metallurgy sites of Burkina Faso, consisting of 5 elements located at different provinces of the country. It comprises about 15 standing furnaces with natural draught, several furnace bases, mines and remains of dwellings. Dating back to the 8th century, Douroula is the oldest record of development of iron production in Burkina Faso. Other assets include - Tiwêga, Yamané, Kindibo and Békuy – illustrate the intensity of the iron production that took place in the 2nd millenium. Although iron reduction (process of obtaining iron from ore) is no longer practised today, village blacksmiths still play an important role in the in providing tools and taking part in many rituals.

Vincent Guichard : I work on the Bibracte archeological site, ancient capital of the Aeduan Gauls in the 1st century BC, which occupiest the summit of the Morvan Mountain range, in Bourgogne, at the centre of France. Bibracte is protected as a historical monument and a remarkable landscape. The site has been registered as a Great Site of France for over 15 years.

You spent 3 days on the field in Kumasi, what do you think about the Asante traditional buildings, sites listed as World Heritage?

Lucile Bordet : The visit to some of the Asante traditional buildings registered on the World Heritage list was very exotic and enriching. I was greatly touched by the history linked to these sites, as well as their rich architecture (construction techniques, materials used, colours, symbolic meanings, uses…) and the atmosphere that lives there. However, today, the sites face many difficulties: a degraded state of conservation, absence of a link
with their environment and the neighbouring population, and the disconnect between them, as well as other heritage elements of the city’s earthen buildings, Manhyia Palace…)

Emmanuel Some
It was an impressive and moving discovery. I was impressed by the architecture, style and specific construction materials of the Asantes. These buildings represent a unique cultural identity and the beliefs of Africans in general and that of the Asantes in particular. Their inclusion on the World Heritage list reflects their importance and the central role that they can play in the cultural and traditional fabric of the people. Touching, because these sites seem to suffer from insufficient management for posterity. This workshop was an opportunity to share experiences and practices GMMB should draw on in its approach to the rehabilitation, management, conservation and especially tourism of the heritage.
Finally, to overcome these difficulties, there must be a display of political support at least, in the form of equipment, financial and human resources from GMMB. Government should equally be involved in resolving issues of the ownership of these buildings and in the sensitising the
communities. The universal value bestowed on this site through its listing as a World Heritage can be a source of inspiration for its management and development. It is a declaration of a cultural identity around
which communities must rally.

Vincent Guichard
The value of the originality of the Asante architecture is remarkable: an European tourist does not expect to discover such a technical and decorative style that was already well established before colonisation, which has led to its near disappearance since the 19th century. However, it is a heritage which is in danger today: the 10 buildings protected by the World Heritage label are a modest remnant of the past glory of Asante architecture. Their state of conservation is far from satisfactory and their environment is terribly degraded by the progressive dissolution of village buildings that surrounded them in the urban development of the suburbs of Kumasi. The challenge is immense: partnership between the state agency in charge of the sites, GMMB, traditional authorities, communities and inhabitants must be restored in order to mobilise more means to ensure the maintenance of World Heritage Buildings and try to requalify their environment as much as possible. Therefore, it would be essential to revalorise traditional earthen architecture, both to restore the old houses at the old central courtyard houses, characteristics of the region’s architecture, and to promote the architectural creation using this material perfectly adapted to the climate and local natural resources. Finally, on another level, the reception of visitors is conditional on the implementation of a coordinated strategy to promote the Asante culture, from all angles
(architecture, furniture design, rites and social pratices).

In your opinion, are there possible areas of collaborations between Ghana and France/Burkina Faso on heritage issues. If yes which ones?

Lucile Bordet : Avenues of cooperation could be established, through the continuity of the workshop organised in Kumasi, following the exchange of research and good practices. For example, on the governance of the site (how to create a management structure adapted to the right scale and
representative of all stakeholders?), methods of consultation with local populations, etc. The Francophone Pôle International could provide the local GMMB with more resources in English and integrate Ghanaian World Heritage site managers into its various activities, once they can be made accessible to anglophones.

Lassina Simpore et Emmanuel Some
Collaborations are possible at many levels between Ghana and Burkina Faso, we can envisage the sharing of knowledge and technical know-how of heritage management of earthen buildings, in the south-south cooperation.

Vincent Guichard
Our mission was not made up of experts in earthen architecture but of practitioners of heritage site management, who carry the philosophy and method of the “Grand Site” approach. As developed within the policy framework of the Great Sites of France and shared internationally through the international training and exchange centre (Pôle International) run by the Great Sites of France Network. The “added value” that the Great Site approach can bring lies in the way of understanding heritage spaces, in order to put in place solid management tools on the right scale. In the case of the Asante traditional buildings, it seems to us particularly necessary to envisage the dossier in a wider spatial and human framework than what was done until now. We strongly hope to be able to ensure a long-lasting companionship with our Ghanaian colleagues, especially the small GMMB team in charge of heritage property, led by the excellent Francis Kwarayire.