Cape Verde ratifies the UNESCO Convention

[Alexandre]

Proud to have delivered to the Cape Verde government my database on wrecks over there.


[COLOR=#818181 !important]08.04.2019 - UNESCO Office in Dakar[/COLOR]
[h=3]Parabéns for Cabo Verde: Ratification of the 2001 Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage[/h]©IPC


[h=4]Cabo Verde recently ratified the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. This is an important step forward in the fight against commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage present on the Atlantic coast of Africa.[/h]
With Cabo Verde ratifying the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, the total number of States Parties to the Convention adds up to 61 worldwide, of which 16 are located in the Africa region.
The Convention was adopted by UNESCO Member States in November 2001 and strengthens the protection of cultural heritage present underwater. The Convention aims to increase the protection of underwater cultural heritage and to strengthen cooperation between State Parties. The ratification of the 2001 Convention by Cabo Verde is a robust step in the fight against the commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage.
Cabo Verde archipelago holds more than 5 centuries of maritime activities on its seabed as it was an important intercontinental Atlantic station in maritime traffic, linking Europe, Africa and America. The underwater cultural heritage of Cabo Verde reflects thus the history of the Atlantic and bears an important testimony to understand the mechanisms of the construction of the modern world. This immersed heritage, often victim of commercial exploitation in the past, now benefits from a better protection thanks to the numerous advantages available through the mechanisms of the 2001 Convention.
The ratification of Cabo Verde is the fruit of a long process initiated by the UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, that has been working closely with Member States on the Atlantic coast of Africa in developing management policies adapted to underwater cultural heritage.
Cabo Verde has participated in the elaboration of the recommendations during the last regional meeting on the protection of underwater cultural heritage held on the island of Gorée from 22 to 24 January 2019. With a good implementation of the 2001 Convention and the application of these recommendations, this archipelago will undoubtedly benefit from the many resources its rich underwater cultural heritage can offer.

Parabéns for Cabo Verde: Ratification of the 2001 Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Alexandre]

https://www.plataformamedia.com/en-...ipwrecks-from-cape-verdean-sea--10815617.html

 

[Salvor6]

It's too late Alexandre. Arquanautis already got the good stuff from Cape Verde 20 years ago. You can have what's left. they are now in Mozambique excavating Portugese shipwrecks for commercial exploitation.

 

[Alexandre]

They WERE in Mozambique. We stop their act there some 3 years ago, after they sued me.

This is their boat, rusting away in Mozambique island.

 

[xaos]

Dont want to wade into an argument.

Alexandre, thank you for the collaboration and submitting your research.

As Portuguese vessels were, at a time, everywhere on the seas, the ability to search the internet and find resources has been an incredible addition to shipwreck research.

 

[jeff of pa]

They WERE in Mozambique. We stop their act there some 3 years ago, after they sued me.

This is their boat, rusting away in Mozambique island.

So You Stole Their Boat ?
Very Sad I Do not Support Theft Under the Guise of Protecting Cultural Heritage
by letting it Rot !

YES I Am against Anti Treasure Hunters !

if the Treasure Belongs to Everyone, Bring it up and Spread it Around !
Don't be Greedy & let it Rot !

 

[Salvor6]

Very Sad I Do not Support Theft Under the Guise of Protecting Cultural Heritage
by letting it Rot !

YES I Am against Anti Treasure Hunters !

if the Treasure Belongs to Everyone, Bring it up and Spread it Around !
Don't be Greedy & let it Rot !

View attachment 1706610

What will happen now is the looters will pick the wrecks clean and nobody will win.

 

[Alexandre]

Aren´t looters equal to treasure hunters?

 

[VOC]

Archaeologist who do poor archeology, or do not publish are also looters, and there are and have been plenty of them.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Aren´t looters equal to treasure hunters?

We are a treasure hunting site, if your going to insult treasure hunters your insulting the site and no reason to be here.

 

[Alexandre]

Well, let's see how many books and articles Arqueonautas published from all those years of "working" in Cape Verde... 10? 15? 25?

No.

Zero.

Z E R O.

 

[VOC]

When you sort all your Brethren out you can criticise others.

Rule makers should not be rule benders and as a discipline underwater archaeologist often do both.

 

[ropesfish]

The difference between looters, treasure hunters and the archaeologist is merely the time frame, the viewpoint and perhaps some arrogant entitlement.
Europeans came to the Americas in search of treasure which they looted from every nook and cranny, torturing, murdering and enslaving millions to satisfy their greed. They were treasure hunters and looters.
Today's archaeologists roam the world grave-robbing and looting while operating under the presently socially acceptable guise of 'research' couching their behavior as academically acceptable. "Let me take your ancestor's body and study it. I will write a paper about it. This legitimizes me to my community of academics. Thanks. I'll return Uncle Rudy if we don't find him interesting."
It's all about perception.

Entitlement and arrogance are unattractive traits to most of us. We should all do a little introspection, I suppose.

 

[Alexandre]

I never went pillaging the (South and Central) Americas, Bill.

Where did you ancestors came from and how did they arrive in America? As slaves, colonialists or emigrants fleeing poverty, hunger and war?

 

[ropesfish]

My paternal grandparents left Scotland a few years after WW1, bringing with them a couple of kids and a nest egg. My grandfather left due to a lack of opportunity as the 3rd son in the family.
My maternal grandfather (Hughes) left Wales after WW 1 after realizing that a life in the coal fields of South Wales was liable to be short and unpleasant. That branch had been in Wales since the Norman invasion of 1066.
My maternal grandmother's family (Brackett) moved to the Carolinas in the late 1690s from England, looking for land. They co-mingled with the native Cherokee and Tuscarora people and later moved west to Tennessee where it was less crowded around 1810.
So like most families whose members were ambitious, there was emigration. Like most families in Great Britain, my family has had much experience in wars of conquest and defense as both winners and losers.
My argument is not with you, Alexandre, although your disdain for any professional or amateur archaeologists who do not share your viewpoints and belong to The Club is somewhat sad. You have done some good research and would be a great asset to a commercial historic salvage operation should you come to your senses.

My issues are two-fold. I do not believe that the UNESCO treaty is a good thing for the signatory nations. Ceding control of your sovereignty is historically always a bad idea, sort of like letting your Mother in Law move in to help run your household. I also believe that somewhere in the back of the UNESCO treaty is a desire of the countries whose ships were carrying their loot back home to keep anyone else from recovering what was lost long ago. Quite frankly, if you can't find it and remove it in 3 or 400 years, it is not yours anymore.
The other issue is that the whole "preservation in situ" scheme, particularly when it comes to shipwrecks in high-energy saltwater environments, is not based in science. Between the saltwater trying to dissolve everything but ceramics, gold and bronze, the energy of the ocean trying to break it all into sand-sized particles and the corals and mineral encrustations trying to absorb it all into the seafloor. "in situ" could just as well be described as capitulating to the whims of physics and the weather while the history and stories of the ships and the people who sailed them are lost.

Kind regards,

 

[VOC]

Well said

 

[Alexandre]

Britons were the worst pirates and looters, just ask any Spanish galleon crew around.

The UNESCO Convention, on my humble opinion, was concocted in order to stop treasure hunting. It's worst side is not the giving away of sovereignty (which does not occur): it's that, once treasure hunting is stopped, what then?

Regarding my research, I agree: I would be an excellent Treasure Hunter!

My paternal grandparents left Scotland a few years after WW1, bringing with them a couple of kids and a nest egg. My grandfather left due to a lack of opportunity as the 3rd son in the family.
My maternal grandfather (Hughes) left Wales after WW 1 after realizing that a life in the coal fields of South Wales was liable to be short and unpleasant. That branch had been in Wales since the Norman invasion of 1066.
My maternal grandmother's family (Brackett) moved to the Carolinas in the late 1690s from England, looking for land. They co-mingled with the native Cherokee and Tuscarora people and later moved west to Tennessee where it was less crowded around 1810.
So like most families whose members were ambitious, there was emigration. Like most families in Great Britain, my family has had much experience in wars of conquest and defense as both winners and losers.
My argument is not with you, Alexandre, although your disdain for any professional or amateur archaeologists who do not share your viewpoints and belong to The Club is somewhat sad. You have done some good research and would be a great asset to a commercial historic salvage operation should you come to your senses.

My issues are two-fold. I do not believe that the UNESCO treaty is a good thing for the signatory nations. Ceding control of your sovereignty is historically always a bad idea, sort of like letting your Mother in Law move in to help run your household. I also believe that somewhere in the back of the UNESCO treaty is a desire of the countries whose ships were carrying their loot back home to keep anyone else from recovering what was lost long ago. Quite frankly, if you can't find it and remove it in 3 or 400 years, it is not yours anymore.
The other issue is that the whole "preservation in situ" scheme, particularly when it comes to shipwrecks in high-energy saltwater environments, is not based in science. Between the saltwater trying to dissolve everything but ceramics, gold and bronze, the energy of the ocean trying to break it all into sand-sized particles and the corals and mineral encrustations trying to absorb it all into the seafloor. "in situ" could just as well be described as capitulating to the whims of physics and the weather while the history and stories of the ships and the people who sailed them are lost.

Kind regards,

 

[Salvor6]

once treasure hunting is stopped, what then?

Then the looting begins and both sides lose.

 

[Blak bart]

Really.....has treasure hunting ever stopped ?? Weren't those galleons on a treasure hunt to begin with. And I'm still trying to find those archeology books on the best seller list.....seems my neighbors dime store novels and gibberish generate more sales. Oh that's right I'm not part of the UNESCO fan club so they dont send me the archeological required reading list. Hey dont sweat it though.....I'll just reread treasure island.

 

[ropesfish]

Britons were the worst pirates and looters, just ask any Spanish galleon crew around.
and looting, but so
I beg to put forth a differing opinion...the Brits were pretty good at pirating.

[FONT=&quot]The UNESCO Convention, on my humble opinion, was concocted in order to stop treasure hunting. It's worst side is not the giving away of sovereignty (which does not occur):
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[FONT=&quot]A sovereign state is defined as "[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&quot]a state with borders where people live, and where a government makes laws and talks to other sovereign states. The people have to follow the laws that the government makes.
Loss of sovereignty is defined as "Generally, the loss of political power, and/or the ability to act autonomously. This is seldom complete loss[/FONT][FONT=&quot] but rather a matter of degree. "

So by definition any time a sovereign government cedes control of any portion of it's ability to act autonomously is is giving away it's sovereignty.[/FONT]

it's that, once treasure hunting is stopped, what then?
l
There ya go. Nothing happens. States do not often finance hunts for archaeologically interesting sites. There is not now, nor will there be enough resources to find these wrecks if there is no private involvement. I am not against archaeologists...I have spent days talking to archaeologists. Nice folks, SMART folks, most of them...with about the same proportional amount of crooks as any business.
I, for one, am all in favor of working with archaeologists. Not under them or in spite of them, but WITH them. Somehow we need to find a place in the middle...we find 'em. you record and/or participate in the salvage, and we'll figure out an agreeable split according to some fair formula. I don't know any salvors that would not be interested in partnering with an honest government to recover artifacts under a fair framework.

Regarding my research, I agree: I would be an excellent Treasure Hunter! [/QUOTE

Someone write this down...Alexandre and I have reached complete agreement on at least one thing. Hallelujah!!

At some point I would really like to discuss what the shipwreck museum of the future might be like and how that can and will affect how underwater archaeology is undertaken. I foresee some really great things coming with virtual reality. Every salvor using a head or hand mount GoPro 4K, the entire site scanned with LIDAR every hour...maybe some 3D photogrammetry? Petabytes of data to be indexed on servers that would allow visitors to watch as the wrecksite is worked, artifacts are saved and brought to the surface once again...