Management mechanisms of immovable cultural heritage in Ethiopia: an assessment of heritage protection institutions and frameworks

This study critically examines the existing immovable cultural heritage management mechanisms in Ethiopia, with the aim of assessing the opportunities and challenges related to heritage management institutions and laws. To this end, the study used a critical review of reliable literature and organizational documents. The result shows that the management of the fragile cultural heritage of the country requires the use of integrative legal and customary heritage management mechanisms. The country has legal heritage protection institutions and laws, which operate at federal and regional levels. International management organizations and laws also play a crucial role in developing a harmonized heritage management system. As a member state, the country has the opportunity to collaborate with these organizations and to use the world heritage laws as a reference to foster its heritage management practices. It also has traditional heritage management mechanisms, which are embedded in local sociocultural practices of different societal groups and religious institutions, such as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Despite efforts, the cultural heritage management system in the country is deemed ineffective primarily due to an absence of skilled manpower, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient funding. In a similar vein, a lack of collaboration among various heritage management institutions further hampers the efficacy of the management frameworks.