The Committee,
- Having examined document ITH/17/12.COM/8.c,
- Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decision 7.COM 8.7,
- Expresses its thanks to Uganda for submitting, on time, its report on the status of the element ‘Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda’, inscribed in 2012 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
- Takes note of the continued efforts undertaken by Uganda to safeguard the element and, in particular, to raise awareness of Bigwala, increase the number of proficient players, especially among young people, through training and promotional actions, increase the supply of gourds for making the instruments and develop better photographic, audio and video documentation of the element;
- Invites the State Party to continue encouraging communities to grow gourds and ensure the supply, teaching young people to make Bigwala instruments and to transmit knowledge about how to play and dance Bigwala, holding information sessions for the communities and conducting research on Bigwala in cooperation with community elders, collecting photographic, audio and video documentation on the element and promoting the element through Busoga-based radio stations;
- Encourages the State Party to follow its proposed future safeguarding commitments to improve the proficiency of youth in Bigwala, increase the repertoire of Bigwala songs, create more opportunities for Bigwala groups to be hired for public performances, continue the documentation of Bigwala music and dance and publicity for Bigwala, in particular on radio stations, and prepare Bigwala educational resources for music teachers;
- Requests that the Secretariat inform the State Party at least nine months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2020 about the required submission of its next report on the status of this element.