We should all get behind the #Unite4Heritage campaign
Over recent years, the scale of heritage destruction worldwide has escalated, with the loss of important historic monuments at the hands of extremists in Syria and Iraq frequently making headlines.
Less often reported has been the damage and looting inflicted on Libyan monuments, and the destruction of Yemeni heritage resulting from the country’s ongoing, bloody civil war.
Beyond the physical destruction of monuments, extremists have also been using social media to launch attacks on cultural diversity, and to recruit young people to their cause.
Apollo Magazine
May 12, 2016
© Wikimedia Commons
To counter this extremist propaganda, in March 2015 in Baghdad, UNESCO launched #Unite4Heritage, a campaign aimed at celebrating cultural heritage and diversity. Although focused on conflict zones such as Iraq and Syria, the campaign is nonetheless a global movement, spreading awareness about the importance of safeguarding heritage worldwide, the threat to heritage posed by the illicit trafficking of cultural objects, and the need to make a stand against those attacking cultural diversity, wherever they may be.
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