The emergency facing cultural heritage

The world’s cultural heritage faces an acute and growing threat from war, terrorism and crime.

Walk of Truth

Tasoula with David Burrowes MP, co-chairman of the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group on cultural heritage in conflict zones, for which Walk of Truth provides the secretariat.

Tasoula asserts that each and every one of us can be engaged in protecting our respective culture and heritage. The Walk of Truth is the natural, logical extension of her life’s work. Proceeds from her debut memoir ‘The Icon Hunter’ go towards Walk of Truth.

Walk of Truth is an independent, not-for-profit organization built on Tasoula’s 30 years of pioneering work in the field of protecting cultural heritage and recovering and repatriating antiquities looted from Cyprus and trafficked to destinations all around the world. It aims to counter the ongoing destruction and looting of cultural heritage by engaging the public and to spread awareness of the value of our shared patrimony and the responsibility of each of us to protect it. Walk of Truth seeks to engender a global sense of custodianship among ordinary citizens for their monuments and their history, and to do whatever possible to ensure crimes against heritage are investigated and brought to justice. Its vision is a world where cultural heritage is cherished by all as a common resource belonging to all mankind and our shared legacy to future generations.

Walk of Truth has three main fields of activity: The first is Culture Crime Watchers Worldwide, an innovative crowd-sourced mechanism for reporting on and investigating criminal acts and networks that destroy and illegally trade artefacts that form part of the cultural heritage of nations. The second is an advocacy and lobbying mechanism to raise awareness among national and international legislators and law enforcement authorities of the destruction and illegal trafficking in cultural heritage. The third is a digital research facility, with thousands of documents from cases around the world such as Syria, Iraq, Cyprus, Yemen, Iran and the Balkans that are used for training, research and education.

Walk of Truth connects people to their cultural heritage and engages and empowers them to protect it.

Culture Crime Watchers Worldwide

CCWW is a reporting point for anyone with information regarding the destruction, looting or trafficking of cultural heritage. With global reach, it allows anonymous tips to be forwarded to relevant law enforcement bodies, lawyers or mediators. It aims to attract committed and passionate individuals to a common cause: to recover and return stolen art and artefacts to the place they belong.

Learn more about how you can join the Icon Hunter on the Walk of Truth today.