Local ownership
Projects shaped with the people and organisations responsible for living with heritage.
Foundational programme
Culture and Development.
Programme approach
Build with people, then leave capacity behind.
CIE’s Culture and Development programme treated heritage as part of social and institutional life—not as an isolated collection of monuments. Projects began with local priorities and combined practical tools, professional exchange, education and public access.
A recurring method was to work with local heritage teams, museums, teachers, communities and public authorities so that knowledge and responsibility remained in place after a project ended. The programme was especially visible in Afghanistan and around the Indian Ocean, but its principles travelled across CIE’s work.
Programme routes
Places where the model took shape
Each route connects institutional renewal with learning, local knowledge and public participation.
National Museum, Kholm and heritage education
Museum rehabilitation, palace and garden renewal, teacher training, children’s programmes and support for Afghan heritage teams.
Open programme story ↗Avondster and the Bay of Galle
A research and training programme that helped establish maritime-archaeology capacity and strengthened the public presentation of Galle’s maritime past.
Open project story ↗Coastal heritage and community practice
Locally grounded management, training and documentation across Mafia, Kilwa and Zanzibar.
Open programme story ↗Community skills and heritage protection
Training and shared frameworks developed with local partners to strengthen protection and counter treasure hunting.
Open programme story ↗A connected method
Four recurring commitments
Institutional capacity
Training, mentoring and practical systems designed to remain useful after external support ends.
Public learning
Museums, schools and community programmes used to make heritage accessible across generations.
Long relationships
Networks treated as infrastructure, allowing projects to continue, change form and reconnect later.
Living legacy
From development programmes to heritage justice.
The language has evolved, but the programme’s strongest lessons remain visible in CIE’s present work: knowledge should move in more than one direction, communities should control their narratives, and heritage practice should support dignified futures.
Explore current programmes ↗