Abstract:
This long essay examines the phenomenon of unused monuments that are found in many parts of Ghana, and analyses the major issues and challenges that underlie their conservation which constitute the associated politics and polemics. The study, on the other hand, with the due consideration of the value of the poetics in monument conservation management, identifies the inherent possibilities and virtues of these monuments which their conservation may engender.
To demonstrate how these considered factors operate in the conservation management of these monuments, the study further investigates the principles of adaptive reuse, based on the Burra Charter, as applied to an identifiable 19th century monument found in the Central Region capital of Cape Coast, popularly known as the “Old West African Court of Appeal Building”, a court facility built by the British administration. Findings from the study present the existing condition of the site, the history of the building in the context of the period of its construction, the significance and use associated to the building as a possible place of convening for different purposes.
The reuse potential of this local monument to compliment the tangible cultural heritage of Cape Coast as a historic place, are discussed to show how the 3 Ps (Politics, Polemics and Poetics) of monument conservation management play a role in the conservation management in Ghana. Inferences made from the findings of the study are used to proffer recommendation for strategic adaptive reuse of the “Old West African Court of Appeal Building” that may serve as a legal museum facility.
