Strengthening capacities for periodic reporting under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa

Benefitting country(ies): Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Overview:

Africa is the fourth region to be undertaking periodic reporting under the revised regional cycle approved by the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention [Decision 14.COM 8]. The present project aims to strengthen the human and institutional capacities of States Parties in the region, in conducting a thorough review of the state of safeguarding policies, programmes, and initiatives in ›››

News and activities:

• 2024-04-22 – Milestone achieved as Africa participates in its first regional cycle of periodic reporting

Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and contributing to sustainable development in Kenya

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

In the context of the 2003 Convention’s global capacity-building programme, this project aims at strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and contributing to sustainable development in Kenya. The project will deliver training activities to strengthen the capacities of national stakeholders in the following areas: *knowledge of the 2003 Convention, its key concepts and approaches; *methodologies for community-based inventorying for safeguarding i ›››

Strengthening capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Eastern Africa

Benefitting country(ies): Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda

Overview:

This activity aims to strengthen national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Eastern Africa by supporting States Parties with capacity building for carrying-out community based inventories of ICH. It will also aim to secure ratification by Somalia, the last Member State in the region left to ratify the 2003 Convention. For countries developing culture policies, efforts will be made to ›››

News and activities:

• 2022-01-18 – UNESCO publishes case studies on living heritage and climate change in East Africa
• 2021-04-30 – Regional Online Conference on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage for Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in Eastern Africa

Safeguarding of Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, three male rites of passage of the Maasai community

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

The three male rites of the Maasai community represent stages in the preparation of boys for adulthood – a process called moranism that involves the transmission of indigenous knowledge, including Maasai rituals, legends, traditions and life skills. Enkipaata is the name for the induction ceremony, Eunoto heralds the shaving of initiates before their seclusion in the bush for training, and Olng’esherr i ›››

News and activities:

• 2018-01-28 – Community-based inventorying workshop

Promotion of traditional pottery making practices in Eastern Kenya

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

The proposed project, which is designed in line with the 2006 National Heritage Act of Kenya, aims to safeguard and revitalize traditional pottery making practices of the Mbeere, Tharaka and Tigania communities in Eastern Kenya. Transmitted by females within families, the technique involves creating clay pots of various sizes and shapes depending on the function and style of the community concerned ›››

News and activities:

• 2019-09-19 – Gabon, Kenya and the Seychelles strengthen safeguarding efforts through International Assistance projects

Documenting and inventorying intangible cultural heritage of the pastoralist Samburu community in northern Kenya: a focus on the region of Mount Kulal biosphere reserve

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

The proposed project, which is designed in line with the 2006 National Heritage Act of Kenya, aims to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of the semi-nomadic pastoralist Samburu community living within the Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve (designated in 1979 through UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere programme) in northern Kenya. Due to external political, economic and cultural influences as well as environmental degradation, the v ›››

News and activities:

• 2016-04-13 – Workshop on documenting and inventorying intangible cultural heritage of the pastoralist Samburu community
• 2015-10-19 – The Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund supports various safeguarding measures in Africa!

Rituals and practices associated with Kit Mikayi Shrine of the Luo community in Kenya

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Traditions and practices associated with the Kayas in the sacred forests of the Mijikenda

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

Aiming to empower the Mijikenda people to ensure the viability and transmission of the traditions and practices associated to the sacred Kaya forests of coastal Kenya, the project is managed by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts (former Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture) in cooperation with the National Museums of ›››

News and activities:

• 2015-02-12 – Financial assistance, a key mechanism for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Africa

Safeguarding traditional foodways of two communities in Kenya

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

Traditional foodways involve practices transmitted within a community concerning the preparation and consumption of food, including the provision of ingredients and the roles of all people involved. Traditional foodways, both those related to everyday life as well as those associated with special occasions (such as rituals, social practices and festive events) constitute an important part of the intangible heritage of ›››

Traditions and practices associated to the Kayas

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya

Overview:

The assistance resulted in the submission of a USL nomination examined in 2009, at which time the Committee inscribed Traditions and practices associated to the Kayas in the sacred forests of the Mijikenda (Decision 4.COM 14.06). ›››

Safeguarding traditional Somali performing arts

Benefitting country(ies): Kenya, Somalia

Overview:

Before the civil war Somalia enjoyed a vibrant cultural life, in which traditional performing arts played a major role. Aware of the role that cultural practices may play in fostering social cohesion and in reconciliation processes in future post-conflict Somalia, the project aims to * identify traditional performing arts practices of Somali people with a view to safeguarding this heritage, * highlight ›››