Hello,

Thanks a lot Richard for your email.

In relation to this, I would like to share that we, at the Wiki World Heritage User Group, are also working on a project called WHindanger (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_World_Heritage_User_Group/Whindanger )  covering heritage sites in danger in several countries including Afghanistan (http://whindanger-afghanistan.wiki/) .

For Afghanistan, we are collaborating with Kakar History Foundation and ARCH International to document the heritage sites there by writing articles, uploading photos and collecting testimonials. A photo campaign has been designed on Commons in 2 local languages Pachto and Dari (+ English): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Whindanger_2021_Afghanistan  and prizes will be awarded to best photos per site.

Initially the project was covering the World Heritage sites but with the recent events decided to extend the scope to all cultural heritage component and we are currently building a database of cultural properties in the countries in collaboration with our partners.

I'm ccing the Chair of our UG Nassima CHAHBOUN who is founder and coordinator of this project. Should you need more information please feel free to contact her. 








Best Regards
Yamen
Co-founder Wiki World Heritage UG







Le jeudi 9 septembre 2021, 17:35:16 UTC+2, Josie Fraser <josephine.fraser@gmail.com> a écrit :


Hi RIchard, hope all is well. This is a great call, with really useful links. Is it available anywhere online to link to? I'm sure others would find that useful too. 

Best, Josie 

On Thu, 9 Sept 2021 at 15:42, Richard Nevell <richard.nevell@wikimedia.org.uk> wrote:
Hello everyone,

The International Council of Museums and Wikimedia Switzerland have started an initiative to raise awareness of illegal trade of cultural heritage artefacts and antiquities from Afghanistan.

They are asking people to share images and data, and write Wikipedia articles about Afghanistan's cultural heritage. Further details, including how to join, are on meta-wiki: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_CH/Afghanistan_Antiquities_at_Risk

The threat to tangible heritage is very real and significant. The project focuses on trafficking, but the situation in Afghanistan reminds me of a BBC News piece from 2015 explaining why the so-called Islamic State were so focused on destroying tangible cultural heritage in Syria: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34112593 

These are more than just objects. Heritage sites and artefacts are seen as a threat as they can be a focus for national identity. They were also destroyed to provoke an emotional reaction. The factors involved in the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in 2001 are also relevant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan#Destruction

While writing about Afghan's cultural heritage and the threats, or sharing images, it is important to contextualise it with the human context where possible: what these artefacts mean to the people of Afghanistan. I will be striving to do that while editing. This project can play an important role in sharing information and helping mitigate trafficking of antiquities, so please do take some time to lend a hand.

Kind regards,
Richard Nevell
--

Dr Richard Nevell

Programme Coordinator and Connected Heritage Project Lead




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