Engr. Prince Yemisi Shyllon, has urged Nigeria to aggressively invest in technological innovations to enhance its rich cultural heritage, and transform it into a an engine for economic growth, Isqil najim reports.
Shyllon, a seasoned engineer and avid cultural enthusiast, was speaking on “Investing in Cultural Heritage and Technological Innovation for Regenerative Prosperity and Economic Growth” at the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Ikeja branch’s Olorunfemi Ademola Symposium, which was dedicated to honour a former President of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr Olorunfemi Isaac Ademola.
According to Shylon who was also one of the Founding members of the branch, cultural heritage are “those inherited tangible and intangible patrimony of society’s past generations. It represents a selection of important representations of society’s past, in cherished symbols of their cultural identities.”
He added that this heritage, encompassing everything from music and dance to waterfalls and archaeological sites, requires technological intervention for its preservation and economic exploitation.
“For emphasis,” Shyllon stated, “all cultural heritages require technological innovations for safeguarding, preserving, and managing them into further contributing to human development, regenerative prosperity, and economic growth.”
He highlighted the multifaceted benefits of investing in cultural heritage, including socio-economic development, preservation of cultural identity, tourism promotion, and fostering societal cohesion.
“In general,” he explained, “cultural heritage constitutes the symbols of a people’s culture, representing their accumulation of excellence in various forms of art, technology and ways of living that have been passed on from generations to generations.”
Shyllon underscored the pivotal role of technology in enhancing and showcasing cultural treasures. He cited examples such as the use of web technologies, database management systems, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to globally sustain and develop cultural heritages.
“There have been significant innovations which were championed by developments in ICT, such as database management systems, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which are being explored by the Google Cultural Centre in Paris to project the importance of cultural heritage to humankind,” he noted.
Drawing from his extensive travels across 72 countries and six continents, Shyllon shared firsthand experiences of how technological innovations have revitalized economies through cultural heritage. He recounted his visit to Yellowstone National Park in the United States, where “technical and scientific innovations are being used to predict the steam vaporizations of Geysers in that expansive part of the USA at different specific times of the day for the benefit of tourists to determine the next times, of Geyser eruptions, during their tourist visiting hours.”
He also mentioned the use of telescopes in India to view the Milky Way and the technological marvels of planetariums like the Birla Planetarium in Kolkata and the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
“These Planetariums, have large dome-shaped projection screens, technically innovated and designed, onto which scenes of stars, planets and other celestial objects, are made to appear and move realistically in stimulation of their motion to man’s delight,” Shyllon explained.
He stressed that technical innovations are crucial for enhancing the tourist experience and increasing the utility value of heritage sites. “For instance, Cable Cars, like those found in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), help to provide some comfortable and welcoming expansive view of the iconic hilly site of the location, of “Christ the Redeemer” statue, in Brazil,” he said.
He lamented Nigeria’s current position, highlighting the vast untapped potential of its cultural heritage. “Unfortunately, Nigeria is far from achieving any of these tourism earning capacities in regenerating its predominantly extractive economy. Unfortunately, Nigeria culturally remains underdeveloped and its economy its mainly extractive economy and it is at best, only busy promoting tourism via futile and meaningless conferences, socialized consumptive activities and media noises.”
Shyllon concluded by acknowledging the challenges in digitally capturing and reproducing cultural heritages, emphasizing the need to preserve their authenticity and emotional value. “However, in the process of digital inscriptions and reproductions, the diverse aspects of completeness, identity with emotional recreation values, as embedded in cultural objects in their originalities with cultural heritages, must not be overlooked,” he cautioned.Planetariums
He urged Nigeria to embrace technological innovations to unlock the economic potential of its cultural heritage, transforming it from a mere extractive economy to a vibrant, culturally rich, and prosperous nation