Heritage for Peace and Reconciliation

Abstract

Cultural heritage is the physical traces of history. It is the silent witness of conflicts, wars and clashes between nations. The understanding of our shared heritage fosters mutual understanding, reconciliation and peace. T his Teacher’s Manual is part of a package provided in support of the UNESCO educational project, ‘Heritage for Peace and Reconciliation’, which also includes films and a brochure. The Heritage for Peace and Reconciliation project will help educators to introduce the concepts of dialogue, peace and reconciliation into their curriculum through the understanding of cultural heritage. They may use the examples provided to prepare school projects, excursions or exhibitions, or to enrich everyday lessons. One important occasion to pursue activities and cooperative initiatives could be each year on 21 December, the UN’s International Peace Day. Choosing a concrete time period and a concrete type of heritage, this manual focuses on underwater cultural heritage from the First World War, socially one of the most devastating wars of the last century. One of the novelties of that war, which had a par ticularly great impact on the civil population, was the development of naval warfare, and in particular submarine warfare. This warfare has left an extensive submerged heritage. While these educational materials focus on the underwater cultural heritage from the First World War, the same approach can be adopted using examples of un derwater cultural heritage from the Second World War, or other periods of time in which conflict involved large numbers of engagements at sea. T he project was agreed upon by all States Parties to the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The States wish to use the Centenary of the First World War to promote peace education, in particular through fostering the protection and understanding of submerged heritage. The wish was for peace education on the occasion of the Centenary of the First World War, especially fostering the protection and understanding of submerged heritage. They also wished to draw attention to the newly provided protection afforded to underwater cultural heritage from that period by the UNESCO 2001 Convention