In Memoriam
Sid Ahmed Baghli 

It is with deep regret that we learn of the demise of Sid Ahmed Baghli,
eminent Honorary Member of ICOM, who passed away in Paris last Tuesday.

His congeniality, collegial spirit and commitment have uninterruptedly
contributed to the development of ICOM over several decades. ICOM's
international museum community will miss his acute sense of observation,
his penetrating insight into issues from all angles, his experience,
gentle wit and wisdom. 

A graduate of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Grenoble
(France), M. Baghli was named Director of National Museums of Algeria in
1964, then Conservator and Director of Antiquities. He was a member of
the Algerian Centre of Scientific Research from 1966 to 1976, then
Plenipotentiary Minister at UNESCO from 1982 to 1985. From 1986 to 1997,
Mr. Baghli returned to Algeria as Director of Cultural Patrimony at the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism and became Head of Cabinet of the
Ministry of Culture, and in 1996, Head of Ministry of the National
Education Cabinet.

A member of ICOM since 1963, Sid Ahmed Baghli was involved in numerous
ICOM activities. He participated in the revision of the Code of
Professional Ethics in 1974 and was elected on several occasions to
ICOM's Executive Council. Deeply engaged in the development of museum
ethics, Mr. Baghli supervised the translation of the Code of
Professional Ethics into Arabic while he was Chairperson of ICOM-Algeria
in 1977 he became member of the Ethics Committee. In later years, he
collaborated with Patrick Boylan and Yani Herreman to writing the
History of ICOM 1946-1996 on the occasion of ICOM's 50th Anniversary. In
recognition for his exceptional contribution to ICOM and the world
museum community, Mr. Baghli was elected Honorary Member of ICOM in
2001. 
In the same year, Mr. Baghli was named Cultural Advisor to the Permanent
Delegation of Algeria at UNESCO. In 2004, at ICOM's 20th General
Conference in Seoul (Korea), he delivered a Keynote Address on "The
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and
New Perspectives for the Museum" in which he advocated broadening the
definition of the museum and the remit of museum specialists as
custodians of the works of man and nature to "preserve the magic" by
making the intangible tangible and thereby safeguard "our fragile yet
fabulous cultural diversity".

On behalf of ICOM Alissandra Cummins, ICOM President and Julien Anfruns,
Director General, extend their sincere condolences to the colleagues,
friends and family of M. Sid Ahmed Baghli. 
 
Alissandra Cummins, President and Julien Anfruns, Director General

http://icom.museum/honorary-members_baghli.html

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