Consultative Committee to boost local community support in managing the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage, Mauritius
Snapshot Solution
Meeting of the Consultative Committee (2022).
Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund
The World Heritage property of Aapravasi Ghat is located in one of the busiest commercial areas of Port Louis, Mauritius. With a handful residents, the existing community is mostly made of business people who own properties or trade activities near the heritage place. Consequently, community involvement in heritage activities by the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund (AGTF) is a challenge as local people use the area only during business hours and, due to time constraints or lack of sense of belonging there have been many complexities in managing the heritage in its initial days.
In 2009 AGTF established a Consultative Committee chaired by the municipal mayor. It focuses on engaging communities around the site. Every year, the committee organizes an event to present heritage projects and policies adopted to enhance the area and improve the environment they work in. This has led to better cooperation between the management authority and local stakeholders in protecting Aapravasi Ghat.
Last update: 26 Oct 2022
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Impacts
- The annual event improved the relationship between those working near the site, the local municipality, China Town’s residents and the institutions involved in the management of Aapravasi Ghat (AGTF and the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage).
- Since its implementation in 2009, the Consultative Committee has been very active and has worked towards boosting engagement of local communities. The effort was originally met with a negative response but after more than 10 years, the response to the Committee is positive. The local community is more attentive to the needs of heritage and the objectives of the AGTF and the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, and they are more willing to abide by the policies/regulations in place to protect the heritage values of Aapravasi Ghat. Prior to any development proposals they seek for technical advice of heritage professionals to ensure that the projects are in line heritage needs.
- The interest of the local community towards the preservation of heritage can be witnessed in the buffer zone through the implementation of exemplary models of adaptive-reuse projects which have inspired others property owners.
- Over the years the participation of the local community in the Committee has been quite encouraging and many are willing to collaborate with AGTF on heritage matters and share their views on how they want to see the area improved.
