Perceptions on cultural significance and heritage conservation: A case study of Sussan Wengers building, Osogbo, Nigeria

Abstract

The built environment is the history of man. The undying stones of monuments are the tables from which this history can be read. Thus, the life of man in the past, its values in the present and directions for the future are embellished on these stones. Historic cultural heritages cannot be expressed in any other better form than in buildings. Sussan Wenger’s building located in Osogbo, Nigeria is one of such buildings. The fabric of the building is synonymous to the history of this Austrian woman who indigenized and became a priestess of the Osun goddess in the course of which she was named “Adunni Olorisa”. The study was carried out to determine people’s perceptions on the cultural significance and heritage conservation of the building because of the present non-identification of the building with Osun Grove World Heritage Site despite their obvious relationships. The building has history, features and associations with the Osun Sacred Grove which has earned recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 203 respondents who are residents of Osogbo were randomly sampled to determine their perceptions on this historic building. The data obtained were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis of means (x) and chi squares (χ2) based on three hypotheses to find a correlation between respondents and sex, place of origin and rate of observation of the building. Result shows that attitudes towards the building favour the option of conversion of the building to a Museum of Art and Culture. Recommendations were made for the heritage promotions of the building through UNESCO. Key words: Conservation, Osun Grove, Sussan Wenger, cultural heritage, Osogbo, building, history.

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