INTERVIEW: Fabris de Kerhov, King Boudain Foundation

We invest in people as much as in the heritage

 
Our heritage is what we consider to be a value and what gives meaning to our lives and the places where we work and live – that is why it has to be sustainable, to be alive. That is what we mean by “Living heritage” – says Mr. De Kerhov.
When we were making this interview, Mr. Fabris de Kerhov was paying one of his visits to Macedonia, which happen at least twice a year. As he says, he feels Macedonia, and the Balkans region in general, very close to him – thank to the often visits within the program “Living heritage”, where he is the coordinator.

Mr. De Kerhov has been working in the Belgian King Boudain Foundation since 1995, where he is responsible for this program. Before joining this much respected foundation, he worked as a critic, translator and editor in several magazines about culture, as well as an assistant-curator in several museums in Brussels and New York, and eventually as a consultant. He studied history and cultural management in Brussels and New York.

We talked to Mr. De Kerhov about the program “Living heritage” in Macedonia, about the opportunities for the smaller municipalities to recognize their traditional cultural heritage as a development resource, about the work of the King Boudain Foundation in Macedonia. 

C.W. – Could you briefly tell us something more about the King Boudain Foundation?
F.K. – The King Boudain Foundation is an independent Belgium foundation, which has been working on improving the live conditions of the population since 1976. Since then, we have been focusing mainly to four programs: “Social justice” is a program, which reveals new forms of social injustice and supports initiatives, which give bigger independence to the vulnerable groups of people. In “Civic society” we encourage people to get involved and we try to strengthen the organizations. The program “Governance” supports the citizens’ involvement in the decision-making processes in the sphere of goods and services consumption and in the development of medical sciences. Through the program “Modern Philanthropy Fund”, the Foundation develops modern forms of generosity. We deliver information to the donators and we offer them some tools that will help them engage in philanthropy. As a European organization with headquarters in Brussels, we are more active on both European and international level. We use various methods of work: we give help to projects, we undertake our own initiatives, we organize seminars and prepare reports, publications etc.

C.W. – Which fields is the Foundation active in Macedonia?
F.K. – The King Boudain Foundation in Macedonia is active through three initiatives that refer above all to children and youth in risky conditions, improving inter-ethnic relations and through the program “Living heritage”.

C.W. – What is the program “Living heritage”, where you are the coordinator?
F.K. – It is an initiative that impels local communities development in South-East Europe, by promoting sustainable culture and heritage projects. This three-year program combines grants, capacities-building and technical assistance. It was launched in Macedonia in 2001 and now it is functioning in Bulgaria, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Living heritage” is built upon an innovative approach towards heritage and its interaction with local communities. In contrast to the usual typologies, here, heritage is considered to be a resource, a form of social capital that can contribute in the environment and the quality of people’s lives in those communities. As a result of this, the Program appeals for a global approach of including all interested parties in projects development. In the above-mentioned countries we have so far developed 45 projects, 19 of them in Macedonia, where the Program is the most advanced. We support various projects, from rehabilitation of a small street in the historical center of Brasov (Romania), to a project on oral history whose objective is to revive the memory of the old village of Ivanovo (Bulgaria).

The King Boudain Foundation strongly believes in the partnership approach in the work. In every country the Program is implemented in a form of partnership that does not include only financial partners, as the Open Society Institute Macedonia Foundation, but also local non-governmental organizations, responsible for projects coordination. The partners develop a strategy, which best fits in the local context.

C.W. – How does this Program understand the concept of cultural heritage? Why “living heritage?
F.K. – The living heritage promotes wide understanding of the heritage, that goes further than the traditional typologies, as natural, architectonic, moving or unmoving. This program is open to the more subtle beliefs of the live history, memories, tradition and people’s activities. This understanding of the heritage is in line with the current opinions of the international organizations as UNESCO, which has recently opened its List of world heritage for such forms of heritage. Furthermore, this evolution can be seen in the recent international text where the typologies and categories of heritage are replaced with concepts like integrated conservation and cultural landscape, which understand the heritage in a wider context, as cultural, natural, social and economic. This evolution also shows how the heritage protection and management grow into a common responsibility, which more than ever depends on the communities’ capabilities to value the values of the monuments. In this respect, the growing successes of the events for raising public awareness, for example Days of European Heritage, are important for identification of these values by the wider public. In other words, our heritage is what we consider to be values and what gives meaning to our lives and places where we work and live – that is why it has to be sustainable, to be alive. That is what we mean by “living heritage”.

C.W. – Why have you chosen to work in small communities, villages and small towns, up to 25,000 inhabitants?
F.K. – We have made this decision after the evaluation of the pilot-phase of the Program “Living heritage” in Macedonia, where we were focused on the bigger towns. The reason is two-sided – firstly, we have realized that in the small settlements there is a bigger feeling of mutuality, and secondly, we have realized that we have to reduce the size of the projects to enable a real participatory approach where the population will be able to take a more active part in the decision-making for the project itself. The second phase of the Program in Macedonia has proved that this approach is more in line with the philosophy of “Living heritage”. Actually, in the other countries where this program is implemented, projects in small communities are supported. Thus, this approach enables fruitful regional exchange.

C.W. – “Living Heritage” is a unique program. What makes it different from the others?
F.K. – The “Living Heritage” Program is unique because it relates the communities development to the local resources and provides proofs of the communities development potentials. Here heritage is not considered to be a burden, but a resource. Other reason that makes this program unique is the fact that it is based upon a set of 10 principles, which underline a set of, values that we share as partners. Thus, this approach allows constancy in the change, as well as flexibility. It is very important for an international program with a strong local focus, where we meet various contexts. Another thing about the uniqueness of the Program is the partnership approach, which involves the NGOs, the media, the local authorities, and the local inhabitants. “Live heritage” invests in people as much as in the heritage. We actually have more involved people than projects.    

C.W. – In Macedonia, the Program is going to finish this year. What about its future development in this country?
F.K. – As I have already mentioned, Macedonia is the first country where the “Living Heritage” has been implemented. The first, three-year cycle is going to finish at the end of 2003, and in the other countries in 2004. We are in a process of forming a strategy which will be focused on the evaluation of the Program’s influence in Macedonia, transferring the experience we have gained with the 19 projects, in order to influence the politics related to cultural heritage, and if possible, to provide funds for a new cycle of the Program in Macedonia.

19 projects in Macedonia

Within the Living Heritage Program, 19 projects have been supported in Macedonia, in the following municipalities: Galichnik, Vraneshnica, Kichevsko, Malovishta, Bitolsko, Mariovo (Staravina and Gradeshnica), the Radovish villages of Alikodz and Kodzalija, Banja Bansko, Strumichko, Gevgelija, Dobroshta and Nereshta (Tetovsko), Gevgelija, Varsoh near Prilep, Krivogashtani, Rostushe and Bitushe, Vevchani, Veleshta and Delogozda, Karatovo, Krushevo, Bitola, Skopje (the Old bazaar) and Novo Selo, Strumichko.

The projects have been directed towards the development of these local communities, by recognizing and using cultural heritage as a development resource.