Wadiyan Heritage Days

    Artefact Hunting as a Heritage Event in Wadiya  

In the breakaway Socialist Republic of Wadiya the heritage of the pre-colonial past is an important factor is creating a national identity, encouraging tourism, which is good for the economy. There are many archaeological sites, going back thousands of years into the past holding information about the glorious history of the region. "This history is the glorious heritage of all Wadiyans, something we all share and can take pride in" says the country's ruler Haffaz Aladeen. This weekend is Wadiyan Heritage Day and there will be a number of events all over the Repblic to celebrate. In the region of Sodor, the local heritage society is encouraging citizens to go out and search for relics of the past, they will be given maps showing the precise location of archaeological sites and they can hire mattocks, picks and shovels and will be encouraged to go and dig for artefacts, if they are not gold or silver, they can take them home, or sell them to collectors online.  

Not everybody agrees with policies that encourage this. Nnil Rydfirn al-Muhdir of the Wadiyan Archaeology Council says “With the looting of the archaeological record, what we lose are centuries of history and invaluable heritage. Every time cultural property is taken or damaged, present and future generations lose the possibility of enriching our society with our past, with our common history”. Whether or not Wadiyan policy will move closer to protecting the heritage against senseless looting depends on a lot of factors.