Bryggen, the old Wharf of the City of Bergen, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 as a "reminder of the town's importance as part of the Hanseatic League's trading empire".
The town of Mozambique Island was adopted at the World Heritage List in 1991, as "a former Portuguese trading post on the route to India. Its remarkable architectural unity is due to the consistent use, since the 16th century, of the same building techniques, building materials (stone or macuti) and decorative principles."
Mozambique Island and Bergen are both harbour Cities formed by a rich maritime trade.
The Island of Mozambique and Bergen cities are joining members of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC). OWHC was founded in Fez Morocco 1993, as a network for Cities inscribed on UNESCOs World Heritage List. The Cities’ Mayors and the Cities’ Heritage experts constitute the organization. Currently OWHC is made up by 203 World Heritage Cities.
Bergen has played an active part in developing OWHC, being a member of the Board of Directors since 1993. In 1999 Bergen was elected President of the OWHC, and stepped
down in 2001. In September 2003 Bergen was re-elected to the Board of Directors. Bergen has been emphasising the importance and impact of regional OWHC-networks and City-to-City network.
During the OWHC-Symposium and Assembly in Bergen in 1995, the delegation from Mozambique Island experienced how Bergen reconciled heritage protection and urban development, and proposed a City-to-City cooperation. The network has developed gradually since 1995, and is currently a pilot-project for City-to-City network within the OWHC. The success of the network is due to a combination of similarities and differences between the cities: professional standards and management challenges have global parallels, while local heritage diversity cause exchange of ideas and new approaches.
The on-going Ilha-Bergen network-project has four main components:
— Heritage management planning
— Restoration of Monuments at Risk
— Capacity building
— Eastern Africa Network
The outcome of the network project is expected to be as follows:
— elaboration of a strategy plan for municipal heritage management
— restoration of monuments at risk
— capacity building through on the job-training
— establishment of a regional OWHC network for Eastern Africa.
This last part is mainly achieved through three workshops conducted during a project period of two years.
The total budget of the current project is nearly ten million Norwegian Kroner, approximately 1,35 million USD, which is far beyond the possibility of municipal funding from the City of Bergen. Support is obtained from the Norwegian Agency of Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Norwegian Peace Corps. The City of Bergen has served instrumentally to forward requests to Norwegian bodies.
The first funding agreement was signed in May 2002, when the Norwegian Peace Corps and the City of Bergen assumed a programme on the job training of one Norwegian and two Mozambican Peace Corps officers. Being a pilot-project, the legal considerations from NORAD have been extensive. The final agreement of the Norwegian bilateral funding was emitted by the Norwegian Embassy in Maputo Mozambique and signed by the Norwegian Ambassador and the Mayor of Mozambique Island. A subcontract determining the responsibility of the City of Mozambique Island, the City of Bergen and Mozambique's National Director of Cultural Property form part of the Agreement. The City-to-City network Mozambique Island - Bergen has focused on management issues. The outcome of the network project funded by NORAD is expected to be an implementation of strategies for managing the World Heritage site of Mozambique Island. This will be conducted through a participatory model, and according to approvals of the Municipal Assembly. The National Directorate of Cultural Property of Mozambique is also an important partner, as the National Strategy Plan of 2002, gives guidelines for local follow-up.
An air-survey and elaboration of a GIS map of Mozambique Island is a key tool to achieve the project objectives. Aware of the good results of the Bergen model with GIS based on heritage management documentation, the GIS maps of Mozambique Island will allow the partners to elaborate heritage documentation based on GIS and ArcView. The City of Bergen will assist Mozambique Island in the elaboration of this
heritage documentation. Considering the number of partners in Mozambique, and the diverse network of International partners, it has been a main objective to create a programme, which might be simple and open for more partners. We put great expectations into applying GIS-maps as a way of communication.
Restoration and viable use of two monuments at risk, both municipal properties is another important outcome. Due to war and lack of resources, Mozambique Island has a high number of monuments at risk. The former city hall or administrative building is the main municipal monument at risk. This project edifice has been the seat of an extensive slave trade, and the building has a unique potential for imparting history. We have made the ”Slave House” a working title for the building. The second project building is the former residence of the Governor. These two buildings cover approximately 1500 m2, and will be the main objects for on the job-training of local staff.
Capacity building is achieved through a Norwegian Peace Corpse Adviser, who has been posted at the Municipal Administration on Mozambique Island since April 2003. The Municipality of Mozambique Island has still no heritage management body, and the objective of the capacity building is to form the base of a future heritage management office. The two Mozambican Peace Corps officers will, for a period of one year, be posted in Bergen, and in the World Heritage Cities of Lamu and Zanzibar, as these African cities deal with heritage challenges similar to Mozambique Island. We expect the capacity building to be of great mutual interest, and the city of Bergen hope to develop knowledge on stone, lime and wood, which will serve instrumentally for safeguarding the heritage of the city of Bergen.
Networking in the Eastern African region is mainly achieved through three workshops gathering the World Heritage cities of Mozambique Island, Lamu (Kenya), Zanzibar 88
(Tanzania) and Bergen (Norway). The first workshop took place in Zanzibar in July 2003, and the city of Bergen served instrumentally to gather the cities. The main objective of the first meeting was to identify common heritage challenges, and the viability of an Eastern African World Heritage network. The meeting turned out a success and was summed up in a protocol committing the cities to continue the network and to promote the establishing of an Eastern African secretariat for the Organization of World Heritage Cities.
The OWHC City-to-City network Mozambique Island – Bergen is an important commitment to the City of Bergen, as it helps us improve our effort of safeguarding our part of the World Heritage, Bryggen. We get professional input, ideas and comments, which raise our awareness, and generate creativity. It is a network of mutual benefit and a network, which has enriched our work.