Benefitting country(ies): Morocco
Overview:
This project aimed to safeguard the female chants of Taroudant in the medina of Taroudant, a city situated in the south-west of the High Atlas mountains in Morocco. Practised by women’s music troupes during social events, chants not only enliven gatherings of women but, more broadly, convey values that all communities in the region of the western High Atlas mountains recognize as being part of their identities. The practice is in decline because young women are being attracted to more modern musical forms and because of lifestyle changes. The Bhayer Dalya Association brings together women still practising these chants and has started work to revitalize the tradition among the communities concerned. This project aimed to support this effort through awareness raising, capacity building and safeguarding and revitalization activities based on widespread participation among communities. The project involved in particular, drawing up an inventory of the practice of chanting by young women trained in participatory inventory techniques; creating new groups of women trained both in chanting and in the transmission of those chants as well as a federation of troupes; purchasing the necessary equipment to practise the tradition (costumes and musical instruments); creating and disseminating audiovisual products about the chants and about the revitalization process; and organizing a small-scale festival. Based on a strong partnership between institutional stakeholders and civil society at all levels - Ministry of Culture, local authorities, Ibn Zohr University and civil society associations - the implementation of the various activities took place in a concerted fashion.
News and activities:
29/05/2019 - 29/09/2019 – Needs assessment for reinforcing Ukraine's national capacities in strategy development for ICH safeguarding01/10/2017 - 01/09/2019 – Protecting Cultural Heritage and Diversity in Complex Emergencies for Stabilization and Peace