Benefitting country(ies): Malawi
Overview:
Eight communities in the Northern Region of Malawi participated in the inventorying of their intangible cultural heritage with a view to safeguarding. After having received training on documentation and inventory making, twelve young members from the Bandya, Lambya, Mambwe, Namwanga, Ndali, Nyakyusa, Nyiha and Sulwa/Chewa communities conducted fieldwork to identify and collect information on 26 living practices and expressions that they considered characteristic for their communities.
The State Party reduced the number of trainees but increased the number of training days to ensure in-depth understanding of methodologies involved, aiming to enhance the capacity of community members to carry out similar activities in the future. The mountainous terrain of the project area posed a particular challenge for the logistical organization of the fieldwork.
The results of the fieldwork were compiled in the second volume of the national inventory of Malawi’s intangible cultural heritage. It contains information on such varied elements as Namayoka herbal medicine, the Among’oma dance, the preparation of Ichipipi maize cake, as well as the making of Umomo fish traps.
The project was implemented according to schedule, under the responsibility of the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malawi, and closed in May 2013.
News and activities:
20/03/2012 - 31/03/2013 – The male-child cleansing ceremony of the Lango people of North Central Uganda (Dwoko Atin Awobi lot)20/03/2012 - 30/03/2013 – Myths, stories and language of the Tolupan people, Montaña de la Flor, Honduras