Asia-Pacific, Headlines

/ARTS WEEKLY/ CULTURE-LAOS: A Venezuelan Watches Over the Temple

Humberto Márquez

CARACAS, Jan 28 2004 (IPS) - The campaign to preserve Luang Prabang from the onslaught of tourism can count on the enthusiastic efforts of Venezuelan architect Felipe Delmont. The number of visitors to this northern Laotian city has grown rapidly since UNESCO declared it a Heritage of Humanity site in 1995.

Luang Prabang, situated between the Mekong and Namkhang rivers, from 1350 to 1975 was the capital of the “kingdom of a million elephants and the white umbrella”, and today is one of the best preserved historic cities of South-east Asia.

The reign of that kingdom ended in 1975 when a communist government took power in the wake of the war in neighbouring Vietnam.

In selecting it for inclusion on the list of Heritage of Humanity sites, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) said Luang Prabang is “an exceptional example of fusion” of traditional architecture, Laotian urban design, and the structures built by the colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries.

But with a population of just 30,000, the city is under threat from the throng of tourists, arriving on charter flights or on cruise ships travelling the Mekong from Thailand. They come to admire the 27 temples, which are still operational.

There is a temple for every district of the city, a golden Buddha, and hundreds of ancient houses – a treasure trove of historic wealth, Delmont said in a conversation with IPS.

Luang Prabang currently receives some 70,000 visitors a year, which has made tourism the second leading economic activity of the city, considered sacred among Buddhists.

Set in northern Laos, in a mountainous area, Luang Prabang for centuries was a relatively unknown city, which helped preserve not only the buildings but also the almost medieval lifestyle of its inhabitants, most of whom are farmers or fisherfolk, said Delmont.

The Venezuelan architect, who was chosen by UNESCO to head the conservation team in Luang Prabang, says that for the local residents, “the concept of heritage is something alive and endless, something linked to daily life.”

“The city has remained untouched as a result of consensus of the population. Furthermore, one of the problems of the concept of heritage is that for them, an antiquity doesn’t really exist, because the Ming ceramics that one can buy on the Chinese border are made the same way today as they were a thousand years ago, with the same technique and the same tools,” he said.

“They don’t understand that something is more valuable because it is older, but that in itself is a sign of the wealth of intangible heritage that exists in Luang Prabang,” added Delmont.

The first phase of the conservation effort consisted of taking an inventory of the structures to be protected. To date, of the 160 temples and houses selected, 10 have been restored.

In addition, official ordinances were drafted to regulate future construction, and the experts are currently finishing up a plan for the city’s roads.

“Traffic in Luang Prabang is mostly bicycles, and there’s a motorcycle here and there, but now buses are beginning to arrive, and tourism continues to grow,” explained Delmont.

“The idea is to isolate the historic centre from vehicle traffic. Because the city is enclaved between two rivers, it could mean building footbridges in the traditional Laotian style, out of bamboo, and have a car park on the other side,” he said.

As an example of the threat created by unregulated tourism, Delmont mentions the airport that is just outside the city. It has military origins, built by the U.S. forces during the war that devastated Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

“There can’t be too many flights, because excessive air traffic would disrupt the harmony of the city, it would interrupt the songs of the Buddhist monks. As long as there is just one flight a week, it’s okay. But limits must be set.”

And then there is the challenge posed by the proliferation of hotels and guest houses.

“Hotel development has led to the purchase of homes and, ultimately, the expulsion of the local population. We want to avoid that, because the heritage of a city also is related to the atmosphere created by its residents,” said the Venezuelan expert.

According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage, also known as “living cultural heritage”, can be present in such things as “oral traditions, expressions and language; the performing arts; social practices, rituals, and festive events; knowledge and practices about nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship.”

So even the rice paddies surrounding Luang Prabang, tended in the same way they have been for centuries, are targeted for preservation, particularly in preventing the construction of roads or highways through them.

The city has so far received 50 million dollars in international aid, from UNESCO, the French Agency for Cooperation, the French city of Chinon (sister city of Luang Prabang), and the European Union.

Delmont said that a goal for the medium term is to train local professionals – already most of the members of his conservation team are from Laos – so that it will be Laotians in charge of the project.