The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the inscription of two new cultural landscapes—located in Cameroon and Malawi—on its World Heritage List.
UNESCO has inscribed the Diy-Gid-Biy sites in the Mandara Mountains of Cameroon and the Mulanje Mountain Range in Malawi on the World Heritage List.
The Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape in the Mandara Mountains, northern Cameroon, consists of archaeological sites likely developed between the 12th and 17th centuries, surrounded by agricultural terraces and places of worship.
The mountain range dominated by Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi is regarded as a sacred place inhabited by spirits and ancestors.
Among the 30 nominations reviewed this year, two others come from African countries that were previously absent from the World Heritage List: the Bijagós Archipelago Biosphere Reserve (Guinea-Bissau) and the Gola Tiwai Forests (Sierra Leone), a refuge for endangered species such as forest elephants.
During her two terms as Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay has frequently described Africa—which is home to 9% of all properties inscribed on the World Heritage List—as “a priority.”
The World Heritage Committee is meeting in Paris until Sunday for its expanded 47th annual session.
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