On 24 September 2004 Cultural Emergency Response provided 25,000 euro for the reconstruction of one of the reading rooms of the university library of Baghdad that was plundered and set alight after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003.
When CER was founded, the library of the University of Baghdad received 25,000 euro to reconstruct the reading room on the university site Al-Waziriye.After the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein in April 2003, libraries were plundered and set on fire. UNESCO calls the loss of books and with that, the ability to consult them and contemplate their contents, a catastrophe.The funds provided by the Cultural Emergency Response have since gone towards buying computers and airconditioning units to cope with the terrible heat of Baghdad, that is affecting both people and books. Limited facilities will be available to the students again from the autumn of 2004 onwards. Once the university has rebuilt the building, the amenities will be expanded to include photocopiers and computers to go with the tables and chairs bought by the library itself.
The Central Library of the University of Baghdad,
Al-Waziriya site, July 2004. Photo: Wishyar Muhammed
CER provides emergency relief for cultural heritages that have been affected by man-made or natural disasters.
Cultural Emergency Response
Prince Claus Fund
Hoge Nieuwstraat 30
2514 EL The Hague
Tel. 31 (0)70 4274303
Fax 31 (0)70 4274277
E-mail cer@princeclausfund.nl
www.princeclausfund.nl
