The Busanyin Shrine, one of eight monuments in the Osun-Osogbo Grove, has now been 3D documented.
The project, titled “Digital Documentation, Training, and Conservation Planning for National Heritage Busanyin Shrine within the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove,” was awarded to CyArk, a California-based nonprofit, with funding from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).
U.S. Consul General Will Stevens explained at the public presentation in Osogbo that the 3D documentation of the Busanyin Shrine provides the most accurate record of the site’s current conditions for effectively planning a restoration project.
He praised CyArk, the Adunni Olorisa Trust, and their local partners for their efforts in preserving a valuable national heritage. He also praised their efforts to provide training to local professionals in digital documentation and cultural heritage management.
The United States Mission to Nigeria has a long history of supporting the protection and preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation,” Consul General Stevens said. “We have funded over $ 1 million for preservation projects across Nigeria through the AFCP in the last 10 years.
Nigerian alumni of US government exchange programs, senior government officials, media leaders, cultural institution representatives, and National Commission for Museums and Monuments officials all attended the public presentation.
Other AFCP projects include documentation and conservation of the 14th-century Sungbo Eredo earthworks of the Yoruba Ijebu Kingdom in southwest Nigeria; documentation of the Ifa oral traditions in Oyo State; and rock art preservation projects in Cross River and Jigawa states, among many others.
The United States Congress established the AFCP program in 2001 to assist countries in cultural heritage preservation while also demonstrating American respect for other cultures.
The United States Mission in Nigeria is continuing to look into ways to support the preservation of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage through the AFCP and other partnership mechanisms.
