September 12 declared National Heritage Day

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih decided on Tuesday to designate September 12 annually as the National Heritage Day.

The decision followed discussions with his Cabinet on a paper presented during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.

The paper, presented by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Yumna Maumoon, highlighted the lack of a comprehensive legislative framework as one of the most significant challenge to efforts at national and international levels to protect and preserve heritage sites and artefacts.

Yumna proposed designating September 12 as National Heritage Day, in commemoration of the ratification of the Cultural Heritage Act, on September 12, 2019.

The law passed in an effort to ensure the documentation, preservation and protection of Maldivian cultural heritage.

Yumna said that proclaiming a National Heritage Day is a crucial step in ensuring that the heritage inherited by Maldivian forbearers gets passed on to future generations.