Benefitting country(ies): Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Overview:

The beneficiaries of the project are the national authorities responsible for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and selected communities in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Firstly, the project aims to initiate a sub-regional cooperation platform to support these countries in their efforts to safeguard the living heritage present in their territories. Such objective will be done through setting up a steering group consisting of members from each beneficiary country, UNESCO trained facilitators and cultural programme specialists.

Secondly, the policy, legal and institutional frameworks in the involved countries are to be further strengthened by the project. In Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland, national consultants will be engaged to review the adequacy of existing policy and legal frameworks for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and will recommend future steps on how to improve the situation. In Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Committees will organize meetings or other activities necessary to follow up the reports from the previous study.

Thirdly, a number of national trainers (facilitators) are to be trained to subsequently facilitate training workshops and provide long-term policy advice in their respective countries, using and adapting the training curriculum developed by UNESCO.

News and activities:

• 2015-02-23 – Southern Africa: Enhanced national capacities and sub-regional cooperation for safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage
• 2014-03-18 – Strengthening sub-regional Cooperation and National Capacities in Seven Southern African Countries for implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

23/12/2013 - 31/03/2015 – Madi bow lyre music, O'di01/11/2014 - 01/03/2015 – Needs assessment in Albania