On 7 March 2008, the Prince Claus Fund presented its Cultural Emergency Response program at the European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht. Cultural Emergency Response provides global “first aid' for cultural heritage that have been damaged or destroyed by man-made or natural disasters. The program consisted of a presentation by H.R.H. Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Honorary Chairman of the Prince Claus Fund. Louk de la Rive Box, Rector at the Institute of Social Studies will talk about CER and Omara Khan Massoudi, the Director of the National Museum in Kabul and a 2004 Prince Claus Laureate, told the story of rescuing the Museum's collection during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. www.tefaf.com
Read the speech that HRH Prince Constantijn gave at the presentation of CER at TEFAF
Since the beginning of 2007, CER has provided aid for cultural heritage in emergency situations in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. read more
As part of the “Hidden Afghanistan” exhibition at Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk, the Prince Claus Fund and CER organised a presentation and discussion led by Ole Bouman, the Director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute. The subject of this event was the protection of built heritage in Afghanistan, both during and after the Taliban regime. It also focused on the relationship between power and the wilful destruction of culture, an example being the Taliban’s demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. With CER’s support, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Kabul is restoring a mosque and a synagogue in the city of Herat, Afghanistan. read more
CER is preparing a publication about cultural emergency relief to commemorate its conference “Culture is a Basic Need; Responding to Cultural Emergencies”, which was held in The Hague on 25 & 26 September 2006. read more
This mosque was severely damaged by the earthquake that struck Northern Morocco on 24 February 2004. To save it, CER provided immediate emergency aid. The Mestassa mosque’s continued restoration has been made possible through the support of the Dutch-based Morocco Fund and the Netherlands Embassy in Rabat. read more
On 31 January 2007, the Dutch Postcode Lottery presented a cheque for € 200,000 to the Prince Claus Fund’s Cultural Emergency Response (CER) program.
www.postcodeloterij.nl
For questions and further information concerning either the conference or the Cultural Emergency Response program, please contact cer@princeclausfund.nl
HRH Prince Constantijn and Omara Khan Massoudi at the TEFAF on 7 March 2008 Photo: Capital Photos
Omara Khan Massoudi at the TEFAF. Photo: Capital Photos
A CER action in Herat, Afghanistan: The stabilisation of the Yu Aw synagogue. Copyright: Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Afghanistan
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
