US funds Luang Prabang heritage

LUANG PRABANG The US Embassy to Laos is offering funding of USD655,400 to help preserve cultural heritage in Luang Prabang province.
The Vientiane Times reported that US Ambassador to Lao PDR, Daniel Clune, visited Luang Prabang, 6 to 9 December, to participate in two handover ceremonies hosted by the Luang Prabang Department of Information, Culture and Tourism.
During his visit he signed off on a new grant that will help to preserve Buddhist Archives in the world heritage town. Projects are funded by the US State Department’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Ambassador Clune’s first handover of the AFCP project to the Department of World Heritage in Luang Prabang signalled the completion of the restoration of Vat Xiengthong, the largest AFCP project in Laos.
inside no 2The second handover signalled the completion of a multi-year project with the Luang Prabang National Museum, which provided funding to protect, conserve and display historic objects inside the museum.
The US Embassy has secured funding for AFCP projects in Laos every year since 2001.
In addition, Ambassador Clune and the director of the Buddhist Heritage Project, Brian Lingham, signed the latest AFCP grant, which will provide funding to preserve the Buddhist Archives of Luang Prabang.
The Buddhist Archives of Luang Prabang contain collections of national importance, including more than 35,000 historic photographs covering 120 years of photography in Luang Prabang and Laos; thousands of documents from more than 20 monasteries and private collections; correspondence of key figures of Lao Buddhism documenting major historic events; a unique sound archive, and important manuscripts from personal collections of key figures in Luang Prabang and Lao Buddhism.
A total of 16 projects have been funded in Laos, ranging from restoration of temples, to preservation of archeological sites and artifacts, to documentation of cultural traditions, to museum conservation.

sourced:ttrweekly.com