In the last decade of the twentieth century three UNESCO/ICOM regional workshops were held in Africa (Arusha, Tanzania in 1993, Bamako, Mali in 1994 and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo in 1996) on the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property. In the first decade of this century already two UNESCO regional workshops have been held in Africa on the same theme. The first was held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003, and the second, which is the focus of this report, in Cape Town, South Africa in September 2004.

Participants were drawn from east, central and southern Africa, namely, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The first presentation after the opening address by the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ms. Nthombazana Botha, was by Professor Lupwishi Mbuyamba Regional Director of Culture UNESCO, Maputo. He gave a general overview of sub-Saharan cultural heritage. This was followed by national reports from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The national reports highlight inadequate and limited resources for the protection of cultural property, the need to standardize inventories, the sharing of information on stolen objects and criminals on a regional basis, the desirability of integrating the work of the different agencies fighting illicit trafficking at the national level, and the imperative of lobbying governments to make the protection of cultural heritage a governmental priority. On the afternoon of the opening day of the workshop Dr. Guido Carducci, Chief International Standards Section, Division of Cultural Heritage UNESCO, took participants through the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. He also referred to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict as well as its First and Second Protocols of 1954 and 1999. With regard to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, he emphasised the need for inventory, export certificates, and restitution through diplomatic channels among States Parties. On the second day of the conference Professor Folarin Shyllon of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, spoke on the necessity of African countries adhering to the UNIDROIT Convention, emphasising the improvement on the 1970 UNESCO Convention that it offers. In his second paper he discussed the case of the Nok sculptures illegally exported from Nigeria but which her government has agreed France could retain on loan for twenty-five years. Participants expressed concern over the role of African leaders who do not safeguard national treasures. The view was expressed that the situation exists because there is a dislocation or lack of communication between the cultural sector and political leaders.

The third day of the workshop was devoted to practical measures that could be taken to prevent illicit trafficking. Mr Karl Heinz Kind of INTERPOL gave a very informative paper about the work of his organization in combating illicit trafficking in cultural property. Mr. Alphas Namodi, programme officer with International Council of African Museums (AFRICOM), spoke about the contribution of AFRICOM to minimizing trafficking in Africa's cultural objects. AFRICOM's main objectives are to promote the participation of all components of the society in the protection and enhancement of cultural and natural heritage, and fight against the illicit traffic of African heritage. In the afternoon Mr Kind conducted a practical workshop on the use of Object ID. All the delegates took part in the exercise with enthusiasm. In order to give participants a complete briefing of all UNESCO standard setting Conventions for the protection of the cultural heritage, Dr Carducci, in the afternoon of the third day also drew attention of the delegates to the salient provisions of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001, and the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003. The relevance and the need for the Underwater Heritage Convention was demonstrated by Dr John Gribble, a marine archaeologist with South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) in his fascinating lecture which details the activities of SAHRA in the context of the protection of South Africa's underwater cultural objects. He showed that due to recent technological advancements, underwater cultural heritage is now as much vulnerable and endangered as subterranean cultural heritage.

In the communiqué issued at the end of the workshop, the participants urged their respective governments to ratify all the international instruments relating to the protection of cultural property, that is, the 1954, 1970, 1972, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2003 Conventions and Protocols. They also urged their respective governments to revise and update their legislation on the protection of cultural property with a view to strengthening its implementation. The governments were also advised to prepare national strategies for the proper administration, management and protection of cultural property. To this end they should develop and establish national inventories for movable cultural property incorporating the Standard Object ID as a minimum standard. They are also enjoined to identify and coordinate the efforts of national stakeholders in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property.

This was indeed a very useful and productive gathering of cultural heritage managers in Africa. Through the workshop UNESCO brought to the attention of these officials the legal, political and practical problems in the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural objects on the continent.