US Mission Spends $1m For Cultural Projects Across Nigeria In 10 Years

U.S. Consul General Will Stevens with some staff of the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

The United States Mission to Nigeria has spent over $1 million in funding cultural preservation projects across the country, says US Counsel General, Will Stevens.

A staff of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Dr. Ijeoma Harris using the total station at the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove

Stevens stated this at a public presentation in Osogbo to celebrate completion of the 3D documentation of the Busanyin Shrine, one of eight monuments within the Osun-Osogbo Grove.

The project titled, “Digital Documentation, Training and Conservation Planning for National Heritage Busanyin Shrine within the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove” was supported through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

It was awarded to CyArk, a California-based nonprofit organisation.

Consul General Stevens explained that the 3D documentation of the Busanyin Shrine provides the most accurate record of the current conditions of the site to effectively plan a restoration project.

He thanked CyArk, Adunni Olorisa Trust and their local partners for working so hard to preserve a valuable national heritage. He also lauded their efforts in providing training to local professionals to build capacity in digital documentation skills and cultural heritage management.

“The United States Mission to Nigeria has a long history of supporting the protection and preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

“We have funded over $ 1 million for preservation projects across Nigeria through the AFCP in the last 10 years,” Consul General Stevens said.

U.S. Consul General Will Stevens in a conversation with the Principal Technical Officer, Heritage Department, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Toyin Ajayi at the Osun Osogbo.

The public presentation was attended by Nigerian alumni of U.S. government exchange programs, senior government officials, media leaders, representatives of cultural institutions, as well as officials of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

Apart from the Busanyin Shrine project, additional AFCP projects include documentation and conservation of the 14th-century Sungbo Eredo earthworks of the Yoruba Ijebu Kingdom in southwest Nigeria; documentation of the Ifa oral traditions in Oyo State; rock art preservation project in Cross River and Jigawa states, among many others.

The AFCP program was established in 2001 by the U.S. Congress to assist countries in cultural heritage preservation while also demonstrating American respect for other cultures.

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria continues to explore opportunities to support the preservation of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage using the AFCP and other partnership mechanisms.

U.S. Consul General Will Stevens with some state officials and staff of the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

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Victor Ezeja

Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.