The U.S. government has celebrated the digital documentation of the Busanyin Shrine at Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.

A statement from the U.S. consulate in Lagos on Thursday said the 3D documentation of Busanyin, one of the eight monuments within the Osun-Osogbo Grove, was completed with the support of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

The project titled ‘Digital Documentation, Training and Conservation Planning for National Heritage Busanyin Shrine within the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove’ was awarded to CyArk, a California-based nonprofit organisation.

The public presentation of the project was attended by Nigerian alumni of U.S. government exchange programmes, senior government officials, media leaders, representatives of cultural institutions, and officials of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

US consul general Will Stevens said the 3D documentation of the Busanyin Shrine provides the most accurate record of the site’s current conditions to plan a restoration project effectively.

Mr Stevens applauded CyArk, Adunni Olorisa Trust and other local partners for working together to preserve a valuable national heritage in the state.

“The United States Mission to Nigeria has a long history of supporting the protection and preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation,” Mr Stevens said. “We have funded over $ 1 million for preservation projects across Nigeria through the AFCP in the last 10 years.”

The AFCP programme has also funded the documentation and conservation of the 14th-century Sungbo Eredo earthworks of the Yoruba Ijebu Kingdom, Ifa oral traditions in Oyo, and rock art preservation projects in Cross River and Jigawa, among others.

The programme was established in 2001 by the U.S. Congress to assist countries in cultural heritage preservation while also demonstrating American respect for other cultures.