NGOs & Heritage in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Workshop for Professionals in the Cultural Heritage SectorFilozofski fakultet, Univerziteta u TuzliThursday 8th May, 2014

Andrew Lawler, Sarajevo

Contents

• What is an NGO?• NGOs in Bosnia & Herzegovina• Heritage-focused NGOs• Examples of Heritage-focused NGOs• Examples of Projects• NGO Collaborations & Funding• NGOs & Archaeology• Benefits & Problems of NGO work• Useful Websites

In general:Non-Governmental OrganizationNot-for-ProfitCan be funded by governments, individuals, private companies, foundations, or a mix of all 4Diverse range of activities

What is an ‘NGO’?

Many thousands of NGOs registered post-1995Variety of aims – from advocacy to project enactmentOnly a small proportion deal with heritageEven smaller proportion deal with heritage as a main focus

NGOs in Bosnia & Herzegovina

A large number active within the countryLocal, National, trans-National and InternationalVariety of aims – conservation, reconstruction, regeneration, presentation, interpretation, infrastructural

Heritage-focused NGOs

Društvo za zaštitu kulturno-povijsnih i prirodnih vrijednosti, Kreševo / Association to Protect Cultural, Historical and Natural Values of Kreševo

Udruženje za zaštitu kulturno-historijskog nasljeđa Konjica / Association to Protect Cultural Historical Heritage of Konjic

Ekološko-etnološki pokret “Dimitor”, Previja / Ecological – Ethnological movement “Dimitor” of Previja, Ribnik

Organizacija “Kupreška visoravan”/ Organization “Kupreška visoravan”, Kupres

Udruženje građana “Merjem” / Citizens’ Association “Merjem”, Sanski Most

Fondacia “Visoki”, Visoko

Examples – Local

Examples - National

Fondacija “Mozaik”

Cultural Heritage without Borders

Fondacija Mak Dizdar

Examples – trans-National & International

Archaetypes International Research (Italy)Heritage without Borders (UK)

NOTE: Not so common, due to complex legal structure acting as a deterrent for transnational activities. Normal for project-specific partnerships to be formed

ProjectsName: Conservation Summer SchoolDate: September 2011Organiser(s): Heritage without Borders (UK), CHwB (Sarajevo)Location(s): National Museum, SarajevoAims: Introduction of Heritage Professionals to basics in museum & artefact conservation

ProjectsName: Regional Restoration CampsDate: 2005-presentOrganiser(s): Cultural Heritage without BordersLocation(s): Stolac, Jajce, more TBCAims: To encourage people to value and care for their local heritage. To use cultural heritage to build relations among young professionals.To preserve traditional crafts and techniques.Interventions directly benefit locals by repairing valuable buildings using traditional materials & techniques and providing new ways of understanding and revitalizing them

ProjectsName: Visoko Valley Landscape Survey & Preservation Project

Date: Summer 2013

Organiser(s): Archaetypes International Research (Italy)

Location(s): Visoko Municipality

Aims: to research historical sites, records and the last 50 years of archaeological excavations in the Visokoarea

Survey of sites

Improvement of access to historic sites

ProjectsName: Registration of Historic Monuments in KreševoDate: 2009 - PresentOrganiser(s): Association to Protect Cultural, Historical and Natural Values of KreševoLocation(s): Kreševo MunicipalityAims: To record all historic monuments and sites within Kreševo as National Monuments or at a lower governmental level if they do not meet the required criteria4 of the 8 National Monuments inscribed in Municipality since Autumn 2011

ProjectsName: Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe: Bosnia & HerzegovinaDate: 2012-14Organiser(s): CHwB, with 22 European PartnersLocation(s): Entire BiHAims: Census of people employed within archaeological sector & employers to assess the current state of the archaeological profession in Bosnia & Herzegovina and other partner countries

NGOs collaborate with:- Governments (all levels)- Communities- Academia- Museums- Skilled craftspeople- Other NGOs

Collaboration

Funding obtained from:- Government budgets (all levels)- International Community- Charitable Foundations- Private Sector

Funding

NGOs & Archaeology- Small number of NGOs in BiH dedicated to

archaeology- Most heritage-active NGOs have general focus on

Cultural Heritage, or focus on local heritage

Examples for archaeology:Archaetypes International Research (Italy) – Projects in

Ze-Do and Una-Sana CantonsUdruženje "Društvo Arheologa 1894″ - Excavations in

Sarajevo CantonArchaeon – Mostar-based advocacy group (in process

of registering), with Archaeological News website

Benefits & Problems

Benefits of NGO work include:- Better fundraising activities- Experienced in project management- Generally well-connected to government agencies- Tax breaks

Benefits & Problems

Problems of NGO work include:- Bias toward funding opportunities – what is most

urgently needed is not necessarily what funders want to provide money for

- EU (and other) Funding – limits on sub-contracting; may not be able to employ the right specialist for a project

- ‘Flooding’ of NGO sector in BiH – not always positively viewed within local community

Websites & Resources:

http://archaetypes.jimdo.com/http://arheon.org/http://heritagewithoutborders.org/http://www.seeheritage.net/http://www.visoki.ba/http://bmuseums.net/http://chwb.org/bosniaandherzegovina/

Andrew LawlerCultural Heritage without Bordersemail: andrewlawler06@googlemail.com