The Maritime Heritage Conference aims to situate and advance the knowledge and engagement of our maritime heritage and future in popular, scholarly, ordinary folk, interest-specific and communities’ consciousness and everyday practice.  

It takes place as part of South Africa’s 24thnational Heritage Day/Month celebrations, together with the 25thanniversary of our Freedom and Democracy and marking the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 41st International Maritime Month/Day. The 2019 themes of the latter are, respectively, “Encouraging South Africans to Celebrate their Culture and the Diversity of their Beliefs and Traditions, in the Wider Context of a Nation that Belongs to all its People” and"Empowering Women in the Maritime Community “. 

 

MHI will facilitate the historic Conference deliberations in a manner that the convening large and diverse stakeholder community of maritime experts, industries and interested groups engage meaningfully on the challenges and opportunities which our maritime heritage and the oceans, coasts, inland waterways and other maritime resources present in building a powerful 21st century maritime nation, living in peace, prosperity and sustainable environment.

In keeping with the theme of International Maritime Day 2019, being “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community”,the Conference will seek to excavate our maritime heritage and history which showcase the role of women in the sector, creating a platform or scaffold to build on and benefit from our future in the inclusive maritime and heritage industries; the conference sub-themes are:

• Centrality of women, youth and communities in maritime heritage

• Maritime heritage history in South Africa/Africa - ancient, colonial/anti-colonial and democratic

• Maritime heritage and economic development opportunities/benefits 

• Maritime heritage as an essential tool for our education curriculum development 

• Creative industries and practitioners as custodians and perpetrators of maritime heritage

• Establishing competitive and sustainable maritime heritage products, activities and tourism spaces