The Committee

1. Takes note that Togo has nominated The bearing of the sacred stone or the rites of the New Year in the Guin country in Togo (No. 02241) for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

The rites of the New Year are a series of around twenty rituals practised annually by the Guin People of southern Togo, over the course of seven months, to honour deities and ancestors. These rituals follow a lunar calendar and take place at the same times each year. The new year is marked by the most important rite, ‘Ekpéssosso’, which involves taking a sacred stone. Other key rituals include ‘Yêkê-Yêkê’, a communal meal, and ‘Kpanchonchon’, a lively parade where people paint their faces and bodies and perform expressive songs and speeches.

2. Considers that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

R.1:   The rites are led by community leaders, including kings, district chiefs, priests and priestesses. A group of initiated women, known as ‘guin-yehuesi’, manage many ritual tasks and lead the ceremonies, while men are in charge of ensuring the physical and spiritual security of the sacred places. The related knowledge and skills — including the songs, prayers and traditions — are passed on through gestures, music and storytelling. Initiation takes place over three months in the secrecy of the shrines. Craftspeople also create colourful necklaces and other ceremonial items. These rites serve many social functions, including healing, recreation and the promotion of community well-being. They are deeply valued by practitioners as a key part of their cultural identity.

R.2:   The nomination file clearly demonstrates how the element contributes to sustainable development and how its inscription would ensure the visibility and awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage. The rites contribute to environmental sustainability and provide protection for wildlife, as they mark a period of prohibitions on fishing and hunting in protected areas, ensuring undisturbed terrestrial and aquatic conditions for fauna reproduction. This also contributes to food security. Gender equality is fostered, as the rites can be led by both men or women, although they are mostly undertaken by the latter. Social cohesion and peace-making are encouraged through reconciliation rites, including a communion meal.

R.4:   The submitting State Party has demonstrated the community's participation in the two stages of the nomination process. The first stage involved a meeting with the most important high priests of the deities. The second stage involved an expanded meeting that included local authorities and traditional chiefs from the various localities encompassed by the spiritual influence of the deities. All of the administrative, political and religious authorities consulted welcomed the initiative and expressed their willingness to support it. Other stakeholders also contributed to the finalization of the nomination file by providing videos, photographs and written documentation.

R.5:   The element was included in the National Inventory List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021. The updating of the inventory is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, which issues decrees adding items to the list from time to time. The descriptions of the elements may be revised at any time if the communities concerned so request. The participatory approach to the process allows the population to participate in the registration and revision of the list. The final selection is made by a group composed of specialists and community representatives.

3. Further considers that, from the information included in the file and the information provided by the submitting State Party through the dialogue process, the nomination satisfies the following criterion for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

R.3:   The submitting State Party has presented a variety of safeguarding measures, including of a legal, institutional and promotional nature, which contribute to the safeguarding of the element. The nomination file demonstrates the role of communities in planning and implementing the safeguarding measures, highlighting that communities have been deeply committed to ensuring the viability of the rites and rituals through deep-rooted and well-established traditions that guarantee the transmission of the element. In addition, the submitting State Party argues that the municipalities hosting the rites have benefitted from the project to develop related cultural sites, providing infrastructure, museums, souvenir shops, eating places and visitor services with the aim of promoting the element and increasing its visibility. Adequate measures are planned to mitigate the possible risks of decontextualization of the element due to tourist development.

4. Decides to inscribe The bearing of the sacred stone or the rites of the New Year in the Guin country in Togo on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.