- Says $1.5m provided by United States since 2001
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the United States of America in Abuja, David Greene, has expressed delight over the cultural cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in different ways.
Greene spoke in Abuja during the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation Grant Signing Ceremony for Sukur Cultural Site.
Greene, while welcoming the guests, recalled that the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, had just returned from the Grammys in the United States where she watched so many Nigerian and West African nominees.
Greene said: “And I think it really speaks to an incredible cultural moment that Nigeria is having right now in the United States and around the world.
“So, we are very glad to be strengthening our collaboration on the cultural space in so many different ways.”
Speaking further, Greene said the award, which is the implementation of the United States’ most recent Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation grant, was awarded to the International Council on Monuments and Sites in Nigeria, or ICOMOS-Nigeria.
Greene added that the purpose is to document, conserve and improve the cultural heritage of the Sukur UNESCO World Heritage Site in Adamawa State.
“That brings us up to today. Our latest AFCP grant will support ICOMOS-Nigeria and its local partners to help preserve Sukur cultural heritage through infrastructure enhancements, revival of threatened traditional crafts, and documentation and preservation of the Sakun language.
“This will require a collaborative effort amongst each of your organizations, so I am proud and pleased to witness your signing today of the Memorandum of Understanding covering the planned project. We truly appreciate your unwavering dedication to conserve, protect, and preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage. My government and I eagerly anticipate building upon this partnership in the years to come, and I can tell you that I personally hope to have an opportunity to visit the Sukur site,” Greene stated.
The United States envoy also said the United States Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, from which the United States has provided $1.5 million for 14 projects, cuts across 21 states since 2001.
“We are so proud that, with our Nigerian partners, we have been able to preserve culturally significant art, sites, and other heritage items,” Greene also said.
Also speaking, Musawa said the event will usher in profound development to one of Nigeria’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sukur Cultural Landscape through funding provided by the ever supportive US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Musawa recalled the existing cordial relations between the United States Embassy in Nigeria, particularly its Cultural Affairs Section, through the Ministry of Information and Culture, recently designated as the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy.
“Remarkably, the USA has consistently supported cultural projects in Nigeria. One of the means through which the United States deploys its supports for culture, is the veritable Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. It is worthwhile to state that the USA has graciously and bountifully extended its friendship towards Nigeria through this Fund,” Musawa said.