The work of historic preservation: saving Oran’s Fort Santa Cruz, and more: an interview with Abdeslem Abdelhak, Bel Horizon member and guide

ABSTRACT

The following interview addresses a big question at the heart of preservationist practice: how do you encourage people to appreciate the beauty and historical significance of their surroundings and to take care of them? The personal testimony of Abdeslem Abdelhak, active in Bel Horizon since its founding in 2001, conveys a nuanced and democratic vision of the role that associations can play in preserving architectural vestiges from the past. By training guides, publishing books, advocating the preservation of sites like the sixteenth century Spanish fort Santa Cruz, and storytelling, Bel Horizon in general and Abdelhak in particular have been working to stimulate deep knowledge of the city’s evolution and thus popular stewardship of its future.

KEYWORDS:

• Historic preservation
• Santa Cruz
• Association Bel Horizon
• storytelling
• public spaces
• tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.