MOHO to Preserve Modern Cultural Heritage
The Arab Center for Architecture (ACA), the Arab Image Foundation (AIF), the Association for Arabic Music (IRAB), and the Cinémathèque de Tanger are partners in initiating the Modern Heritage Observatory project (MOHO), which aims to advocate for the preservation of modern cultural heritage – with an emphasis on photography, music, architecture, video and film – in the Middle East and North Africa.
As they struggle for sustainability, cultural heritage actors in the MENA region seek to raise awareness on the need to support and improve the preservation of modern cultural heritage among political and institutional sectors and the general public. The project partners have come together to mobilize for joint action to impact policies and legal frameworks, and to generate political commitment towards modern cultural heritage.
Through the creation of a network between professional bodies from the MENA region, the project seeks the exchange of experience, pooling of expertise and the elaboration of strategies for joint advocacy actions. By organizing various activities such as trainings, national and regional meetings, film screenings, exhibitions, and publication of articles, the partners in the project will contribute in making modern cultural heritage of the Arab world more extensively preserved and widely accessible.
This initiative is funded by the European Union and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
The first networking meeting organized by the Modern Heritage Observatory was held on March 26, 2012, at the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut. As an initial step towards the creation of a network, this meeting brought together representatives from many Lebanese initiatives dedicated to the preservation of modern cultural heritage in the region.
The participating individuals and institutions intersected in their enthusiasm for collaborating with like-minded entities. The different parties expressed their commitment to working together to tackle problems they all face – a scarcity of funding opportunities, an inexistence of adequate means for the preservation of their collections and a lack of support from governmental bodies.
The unanimously expressed urgency of uniting the different dynamics of each of the participants merely reinforced the need for an initiative such as the Modern Heritage Observatory.
Modern Heritage Observatory | Partners in the project
Arab Center for Architecture
Founded in 2008 in Beirut, the Arab Centre for Architecture (ACA) is a non-profit organization addressing modern urban design, architecture, and planning in the Arab world. Its aim is to raise awareness about architecture and urbanism within civil society and to provide a public forum for debating the present and future of architecture and cities. ACA’s current goal is to create an archive of architectural documents, coupled with an extensive database and reference source to serve as a platform for researchers regarding modern architecture and urbanism.
Arab Image Foundation
The Arab Image Foundation (AIF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the collection, preservation and study of photography and other visual material from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab Diaspora. Established in Beirut in 1997, the foundation holds a collection of more than 600,000 photographs from the midnineteenth century through today. The AIF makes its collections accessible to the public through a wide spectrum of activities, including exhibitions, publications, workshops, videos, a website and an online image database.
The Foundation’s research facilities also include a collection of 1,200 books, monographs, catalogues, journals, and an additional video library. The AIF library is open daily to the public and is an active and engaging public space for the study of photography, drawing on the strengths of the Foundation’s experience and expertise to nurture new works, forms and ideas.
IRAB Association for Arabic Music
IRAB was founded in Beirut in order to address the striking lack of availability and awareness regarding the rich musical heritage and contemporary production of Oriental music. It aims at collecting music from hobbyist and from the public sector.
Its methodology of work is to compile these music records to migrate them to the digital technology and thus building an archive and make it accessible to the public; in addition it works towards enhancing the promotion, production, and distribution of Oriental music, supporting contemporary local artists in their visibility, and the reproduction of old records and engaging the public.
Cinémathèque de Tanger (CdT)
The Cinémathèque de Tanger’s mission is to develop film culture in Morocco. In 2006, this non-profit organization took over the premises of Cinema Rif. It aims at promoting Moroccan and world cinema, and creating a film archive featuring documentary and experimental films and video art. The CdT acts as a platform for cross-cultural exchange and dialogue, hosting a wide range of workshops and educational activities.
List of participants in the 1st MOHO meeting
Arab Center for Architecture
Arab Image Foundation [www.fai.org.lb]
Archileb [www.archileb.com]
IRAB Association for Arabic Music
American University of Beirut’s Archives and Special Collections [www.aub.edu.lb]
Beit Beirut [www.beitbeirut.org]
Bibliothèque Orientale (Université Saint-Joseph) [www.bo.usj.edu.lb]
Cinémathèque de Tanger [www.cinemathequedetanger.com]
Dar Al-Hayat Information Center [www.daralhayat.com]
Fondation Liban Cinema [www.fondationlibancinema.org]
Fouad Debbas Collection [www.thefouaddebbascollection.com]
The Institute for Palestine Studies [www.palestine-studies.org]
The Lebanese National Library Project
Metropolis [www.metropoliscinema.net]
The Ministry of Tourism [www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb]
Nada El-Khoury
Save Beirut Heritage
Sten Walegren
UMAM Documentation & Research [www.umam-dr.org]
Zaki Nassif Music Program (American University of Beirut)
[www.aub.edu.lb/fas/znmp]
