Project

Kilwa Fort was ravaged by the elements and threatened by rising sea levels. The fort was placed on WMF’s first Watch list in 1996; the historic sites on the island were placed on the 2008 Watch. In 2008 WMF began conservation work at the fort that will concentrate on stabilizing walls and preventing further deterioration of the structure. (...)

Kilwa Fort was ravaged by the elements and threatened by rising sea levels. The fort was placed on WMF’s first Watch list in 1996; the historic sites on the island were placed on the 2008 Watch. In 2008 WMF began conservation work at the fort that will concentrate on stabilizing walls and preventing further deterioration of the structure. In addition, conservators will strengthen the building’s resilience to the effects of local climate conditions. One corner of the fort is lapped by the sea at high tide; recent cutting of mangrove forests has increased the erosive force of storm tides and the project will include replanting mangroves and shoring up coastal defenses. Training local craftspeople will be an important component of the project, developing skills and providing a source of income in the village.

In the summer of 2011, Kilwa and nearby Songo Mnara were awarded a grant from the U.S. State Department's Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. The $700,000 grant will go toward urgent conservation work on the surviving buildings and ruins, marine restoration to help allay coastal erosion, a sustainable management plan, and improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of the island.