Benefitting country(ies): Zimbabwe

Overview:

Implemented by the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ) in partnership with the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NNMZ) and Lupane State University (LSU), the project led to the development of an intangible cultural heritage documentation facility at NAZ and collection of data and documentation on Njelele and its related intangible cultural heritage aspects.
In the initial stage of the project, two research teams were set up in the western and northern region to conduct desktop and field research on Njelele over the course of a month. The first team conducted literature review and collection of oral interviews outside Matabeleland, whereas the second team conducted oral interviews from Matabeleland involving a group of two men and six women.
Four workshops were subsequently held, the first of which was to report and synthesize the findings of the two research teams. This was followed by a workshop on conflict resolution within the context of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of Njelele, which brought together participants from the community and relevant organizations to reflect on and strengthen their understanding of the role of Njelele in perpetuating life and peace, as well as conflict resolution. The third workshop saw the training of five men and five women in costume making and choreography, whereas the final workshop trained ten students in traditional beer brewing.
The project was implemented according to schedule and closed in December 2012.

01/03/2010 - 30/09/2011 – General inventory of the intangible cultural heritage08/02/2010 - 30/06/2011 – Implementation of proposed safeguarding measures for the Sanké mon, collective fishing rite of the Sanké