Songho village in Dogon country, Mali. Photo: Leslie Rainer.

The Tenth International Conference on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architecture will be held February 2008 in Bamako, Mali, West Africa. The conference is organized by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Ministry of Culture of Mali, with the collaboration of Africa 2009, CRATerre-ENSAG, ICOMOS South Africa, and the World Heritage Centre, under the aegis of ICOMOS and its International Scientific Committee on the Earthen Architectural Heritage. Three hundred international specialists in the fields of earthen architecture, conservation, archaeology, scientific research, and site management are expected to attend.

This is the tenth conference since 1972 to be organized by the earthen architecture community under the aegis of ICOMOS, and the first to be held in Africa. It provides a unique opportunity to discuss and observe firsthand conservation issues particular to sub-Saharan Africa, a region rich in earthen architecture. During this conference, specialists will present papers and posters that reflect the latest research and practices in the study and conservation of earthen architecture worldwide.

The languages in official use during the conference will be French and English. A four-day postconference tour to Tombouctou, Mopti, Bandiagara, and Djenné will be organized for a maximum of one hundred participants. Funding opportunities for participants from developing countries to attend the conference will be available.

Please check the Getty Web site for further information, including announcements, call for papers and posters, registration form, and program.

Contact information:

Kathleen Louw
klouw@getty.edu

Leslie Rainer
lrainer@getty.edu