THE TRAVAILS OF INSURGENCY ON HERITAGE SITES AND RELICS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Abstract

The whole of sub-Saharan Africa over the years has witnessed several instances of insurgency which resulted in killing, maiming, displacement, and migration of the affected populace to areas where they will have solace. These displaced populations are today internationally recognized with the acronym IDPs (internally displaced persons). This paper in essence will attempt to examine on a wholistic scale the travails of insurgency in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa. The sub-Sahara is geographically defined to include “areas of Africa that lie south of Sahara desert,” and politically it consists of “African countries that are fully or partially located south of the Sahara such as Somalia, Djibouti, Comoros and Mauritania” (en.m.wikipedia.org). This paper was predicated due to the current travails sub-Saharan Africa faces as a theatre of conflict, religious or otherwise devastating the larger portion of our local, national, and global heritage enshrined in monuments, sites, manuscripts, and several relics, which if not safeguarded will amount to a loss of history and heritage on a world scale. This information was derived from newspaper reports, personal communications, and on-site inspection.