Windhoek — On Wednesday the National Heritage Council held a one-day consultative workshop to put together a national heritage register to serve as an inventory of proclaimed heritage places and objects.

Ellen Namhila, chairperson of the National Heritage Council of Namibia officially opened the workshop attended by representatives from South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique and The Netherlands. "We are happy to share experiences with South Africa and Zambia, countries that have already concluded the process of the establishment of their national inventories," Namhila said.

Namibia's heritage sector is in a state of transformation because many new developments are taking place, she said. "Until 2005 there was no national heritage council in Namibia, but only the national monuments council that operated under an outdated legislation of 1969. This national monument council had a very narrow mandate that mostly focused on national monuments. Such national monuments were largely representing Euro-centric heritage and primarily focused on buildings and military fortresses," she reminded the participants.

The workshop was a collaborative effort by the Museums Association of Namibia and the National Heritage Council of Namibia.