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From 10 to 28 January 2024, Earth Network volunteer experts Deirdre Prins-Solani, Olga Laiza Kupika and Elizabeth Matilda Abena Mantebeah visited the Asante Traditional Buildings in Ghana. Found in villages near Kumasi, these are the last material remains of the great Asante civilization, and they were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1980. The objective of this mission was to strengthen the capacities of communities to identify, document and safeguard the intangible cultural heritage associated with the sites, as well as to investigate how they might contribute to the biodiversity of the sites and associated natural areas. It also aimed to develop a conservation management plan for these World Heritage properties.

The Asante Traditional Buildings consist of 10 unique traditional shrines/fetish houses geographically located in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, Kumasi: Abirim, Asawase, Asenemaso, Bodwease, Ejisu Besease, Adarko Jachie, Edwenase, Kentinkrono, Patakro and Saaman. They are the last remaining testimony of the great Asante civilisation, which reached its peak in the 18th century, and some continue to have a religious function today, but their maintenance requires substantial conservation action.

Asante Traditional Buildings are earthen architecture structures made of traditional building materials –timber, bamboo and mud plaster– adorned with traditional Akan decorations (Adinkra symbols). Their indigenous design and building techniques reflect a cognisance of environmental factors such as the flow of cool air on hot days and sophistication in the use of materials such as bamboo to make the inner core of the bas-relief decorations.

Such traditional earth and wattle-and-daub buildings are particularly vulnerable to the onslaught of time, weather, and insects like termites. In order to best support their conservation, it was important that the experts study the relationship between the intangible and tangible heritage of the sites; and analyse activities and actions undertaken to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage directly and indirectly related to the Asante Traditional Buildings. The experts also identified threats to the conservation of local biodiversity, including climatic and non-climatic threats in and around Asante Traditional Buildings and their implications for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. Their assessment outlines the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, intangible cultural heritage, and sustainable development, among others.

The site conservation is intrinsically linked to the living heritage and the values associated with the site by the local communities, who consider that Asante Traditional Buildings are part of their heritage and identity. The biodiversity (flora and fauna) of the sites plays an integral role in the life of the communities and their relation to the sites. Conservation management plans and practices must consider the local biodiversity’s interrelationship with the cultural practices, beliefs and local knowledge associated with sites. The dichotomy between natural and cultural heritage, often perpetuated in management processes, is inappropriate for sites such as the Asante Traditional Buildings.

Several structures on the sites are clearly falling victim to the passage of time. Some structures have started to crumble, leading to socio-economic impacts. For instance, tourism was severely affected at Adako Jachie, although the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) intervened and undertook renovations in a timely manner.

Anthropogenic and climate-induced threats are endangering some of the sites’ unique ecological characteristics, with a loss of biodiversity (including flora and fauna in Adako Jachie) and habitats, as well as associated living heritage. For example, the intensification of agricultural developments makes the traditional building materials of thatch, bamboo, and specific timber species less easy to obtain. Some water bodies with cultural significance are drying up or heavily polluted, including the water source used for the preparation of the deity's food at Asawase (Asawasi).

In addition, some socio-economic factors impact both youth and gender-related issues, such as high youth unemployment. In some communities drug and alcohol use have been identified by community members as a growing problem among young people, as well as gender-based violence issues.

The mission took place in four phases, starting with a workshop and progressing towards the development of safeguarding action plans.

The first orientation and introductory workshop provided participants with the opportunity to acquire theoretical knowledge on the core concepts of intangible cultural heritage, sustainable development, biodiversity and climate change, and how they interrelate when examining the state of conservation of the 10 sites.

This was followed by a capacity-building and training course on community inventories and techniques to assess climate change and biodiversity loss at the sites.

Thirdly, field work sessions were organised to document and inventory the intangible cultural heritage of each of the 10 sites. This on-site training also enabled key staff from the Ghana Museum (GMMB),the National Commission on Culture (NCC) and the National Folklore Board (NFB) to learn how to conduct community-based inventories for intangible cultural heritage at the sites in line with the principles of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Finally, training was provided and safeguarding action plans were developed in a participatory manner, one per site and per community.

Capacity building was one of the main objectives of the mission, to enable effective follow-up of the restoration and conservation work at the site. A workshop was organized with the support of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, the National Commission on Culture, the National Folklore Board and UNESCO Office in Accra, to strengthen the knowledge, skills and capacity of the community to identify and safeguard the intangible cultural heritage elements that are linked to biodiversity at the sites. The workshop was also an opportunity to build capacity to assess climate change and its impacts on living heritage elements; and to improve skills to develop a community conservation plan.

The workshop participants were diverse; particular attention was paid to ensure a gender balance and engage with different age groups, including young people. They also came from different sectors of the economy and had diverse levels and areas of expertise, representing both governmental and non-governmental institutions and local governance.

The findings of the mission highlight a need for expertise in specific areas related to the conservation of the Asante Traditional Buildings sites, e.g. the need for a conservation management plan; as well as the lack of capacity to maintain and conserve the built heritage.

Similarly, it is also important to take into account the current challenges of the sites, such as the lack of natural resources used for their maintenance, as well as the lack of awareness of the Furthermore, the abandonment of Asante Traditional Buildings by the local population due to a certain predominance of religions that influence traditional practices at the sites, thus leading to neglect and deterioration; and the lack of an inventory of cultural heritage elements around the sites necessary for their safeguarding.

This must be taken into account to curb the increasing depletion of traditional knowledge related to the conservation of sites, as well as to curb the lack of awareness of the increasing impact of climate change and biodiversity loss around sites. Finally, it is considered important to envisage an appropriate legal framework, which takes into account the connection between Asante Traditional Buildings and the existing environment, considering earthen architecture and the appropriate use of materials to repair and renovate buildings and thus promote their proper conservation.