By Saio Marrah
The Parliament of Sierra Leone has ratified and domesticated six international treaties into its laws for the promotion and protection of both local and international cultural heritages.
The treaties ratified include the 1954 convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict with regulations for the execution of the convention; the 1970 convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property; the 1972 convention on the protection of the world cultural heritage; the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage; and the 2005 convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expression.
The legislative instruments were given parliamentary nod on Tuesday 17th May, 2022.
While moving the motion for the ratification of the agreements, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, William Illawim Kongkatee Robinson, told law makers that with the ratification and domestication of the agreements, Sierra Leone would start to benefit immensely through capacity building, community and national stakeholders, technical and fund support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
He added that Sierra Leone has to add proportion on the convention in terms of support of the country’s natural and cultural heritage.
Deputy Minister Robinson later explained the rationale behind the move.
“These are regulations, laws in cultural affairs that we have to sign up to, that bring in money to this nation, because we use them as a tool to make sure that our cultural properties that we have here are well safeguarded and protected,” he told ManoReporters.
He also said that those are some of the cultural properties that the country have which tourists and other people from across the world will come to see.
In his contribution to the debate, the Chairman on the committee of Tourism and Cultural Affair in the house of parliament, Tom Issic Tucker of Constituency 022, Kono District, called on his fellow MPs to support the protection and safeguarding of the country’s culture and heritage.
Another contributor to the debate was Paramount Chief Member of Parliament Bai Kurr Kanagbaro Sanka III, representing Tonkolili District. He said that Sierra Leone had not been a participant but merely an observer in all of the conventions it has been sending participants to represent it on. Hon. Sanka III added that the country had been losing lots of money as a result of its non-participation.
The PC also pointed out that there were a lot more treaties which Sierra Leone has already signed up to but which are yet to be ratified. He therefore urged the various related government ministries, departments and agencies to bring forth those treaties to the house of parliament for ratification.
