The Committee

1. Takes note that the Central African Republic has nominated the Traditional Ango-Broto fanfare in Ouaka Prefecture for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, described as follows:

The music and dance of the traditional Ango-Broto fanfare are an expression of the spirit of the ancestors of the Broto community, a subgroup of the Banda people in Ouaka Prefecture, Central African Republic. The musicians perform in groups including young and old, male and female, using side-blown horns made from the roots (ango) of fruit trees or the horns of wild animals. This music was formerly performed exclusively at three-month-long initiation rituals held for 5-year-old boys, deep in the bush. During this period young people received educational instruction and learned to master the horns, proceeding from the highest-pitched to the lowest. They also learned to make the horns, from gathering the materials to completing the finished objects, as well as traditional dance costumes. The fanfare was also traditionally performed on occasions such as the death of an elder or traditional leader and when organizing hunting and fishing expeditions. Although the initiation rituals happen rarely today or only in attenuated form, the fanfare still finds an important place at official ceremonies, parades, weddings, funerals and other events. The number of bearers is diminishing due to the advancing age of current bearers, the propagation of Christianity at the expense of local beliefs and the spread of HIV-AIDS and other pandemics.

2. Decides that, from the information provided in nomination file 00492, the Traditional Ango-Broto fanfare in Ouaka Prefecture satisfies the criteria for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, as follows:

U.1:   Although the Ango-Broto fanfare is no longer fully integrated in its ritual context of initiation, it is performed in social and official events and remains a vital expression of the Broto community while enjoying a wider significance for the larger national community; however, the description of the element is thin and the exact nature of what is to be safeguarded should be better defined;

U.2:   The submitting State has demonstrated the need for urgent safeguarding of the fanfare as a vehicle of cultural values and has identified real threats to its current viability, including the reduced number of bearers, the weakness of traditional modes of transmission, and the change in context from initiation rituals to festivals;

U.5:   It appears that the element is included in an inventory in progress, although a more definite statement to this effect and a clear demonstration that it has been drawn up in conformity with Articles 11 and 12 would have been welcomed.

3. Further decides that, from the information provided in nomination file 00492, the Traditional Ango-Broto fanfare in Ouaka Prefecture does not satisfy the criteria for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, as follows:

U.3:   Despite the obvious goodwill of the submitting State, it has not described any current or recent efforts to safeguard the element nor explained how it will create favourable conditions for future safeguarding and capacity building of the community; the State has also not elaborated a well-conceived safeguarding plan that responds to the threats identified, reflects the full commitment and support of concerned Broto communities and foresees the inclusion of other communities in the wider geographic area that also practise the fanfare;

U.4:   The State has not demonstrated the widest possible participation of the communities in the nomination process, particularly in the planning and conception of the safeguarding measures, although the nomination includes evidence of their free, prior and informed consent.

4. Decides not to inscribe the Traditional Ango-Broto fanfare in Ouaka Prefecture on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding at this time and invites the State Party to submit a revised nomination that responds more fully to the criteria, for evaluation by the Committee in a subsequent cycle;
5. Encourages the State Party to provide fuller justification for its focus on one community among several within its territory that practise similar fanfares;
6. Invites the State Party to ensure the widest possible participation of the community in the nomination process as well as in the elaboration of effective and sustainable safeguarding measures;
7. Further invites the State Party to elaborate a coherent safeguarding plan that takes into account the contemporary forms of the element while respecting and reinforcing traditional modes of transmission and contexts of performance.