The Bureau,
- Recalling Chapter V of the Convention and Chapter I of the Operational Directives,
- Having examined Document ITH/17/12.COM 1.BUR/2, as well as International Assistance request no. 01310,
- Takes note that Uganda has requested International Assistance for a project entitled ‘Promoting intangible cultural heritage education in institutions of higher learning in Uganda’:
In line with Uganda’s National Cultural Policy, which underscores the importance of intangible cultural heritage, the three-year project is aimed at raising awareness of a core group of twenty management and academic staff from four universities in Gulu, Kampala, Nkozi and Fort Portal, on the relevance of intangible cultural heritage in Uganda’s current development context. For the moment, there are only isolated initiatives in some formal education programmes on African or Heritage studies, which are at best included in broader courses on sociology or rural development. With limited heritage education in academic institutions, there is a capacity gap in terms of skilled personnel that has led to a relatively low priority for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in policy-making and implementation. To begin to address this situation, the project proposes producing various pedagogical materials and a higher education course on intangible cultural heritage and development, and that academic staff be trained in delivering such a course. Beyond the direct beneficiaries at these four universities, the project is expected to have an impact on a wider community through the organization of a symposium for universities across Uganda to publicize the course outline and the provision of a resource book for academic personnel involved in delivering the course. Coordinated by the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU), a non-governmental organization based in Kampala and accredited to act in an advisory capacity to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the project will be overseen by a Steering Committee composed of representatives of the four universities, including student representatives.
- Further takes note that this assistance concerns support for a project carried out at the national level aimed at safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention, and that it takes the form of the granting of a donation in line with Article 21 (g) of the Convention;
- Also takes note that Uganda requested an allocation of US$97,582 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the implementation of the project;
- Decides that from the information provided in file n 01310, the request responds as follows to the criteria for granting International Assistance given in paragraphs 10 and 12 of the Operational Directives:
Criterion A.1: The community concerned by the request is mainly composed of the management and academic staff of departments at four universities that already offer or plan to introduce courses related to intangible cultural heritage. In this sense, this differs from communities who create, maintain and transmit intangible cultural heritage and whose widest possible participation in safeguarding activities States shall endeavour to ensure, in accordance with Article 15 of the Convention. However, the main beneficiaries did participate in the design of the project and will actively participate in its implementation, evaluation and follow-up through a steering committee;
Criterion A.2: The proposed budget provides sufficient detail both at the level of the activities and on each line of expenditure for the amount requested to be considered appropriate;
Criterion A.3: From the study of the existing academic offer on intangible cultural heritage to the training of academic staff on how to use the course module on intangible cultural heritage and development, activities are proposed in a logical and well-articulated sequence. The duration of the project also seems to be sufficiently long for the project outputs to be the result of genuine participatory processes with the academic staff who will use them;
Criterion A.4: In addition to the four universities which, beyond the end of the project, will not only be equipped with training materials but also with staff trained to give courses on intangible cultural heritage and development, activities such as the symposium for universities across the country or annual lectures in each of the participating universities are likely to lead to a greater appreciation of the importance of intangible cultural heritage in its relationship to development by academic staff and to greater teaching skills on this subject;
Criterion A.5: The submitting State will share four per cent of the total amount of the project for which International Assistance is requested;
Criterion A.6: The assistance clearly aims to build on the capacities of the academic staff from the four participating universities to appreciate the importance of intangible cultural heritage and its relation to development and to deliver training modules on this subject. By extension, the assistance will help to strengthen the capacities of the students at these universities to understand and appreciate such a link; although the request does directly address the capacities of those communities who create, maintain and transmit intangible cultural heritage and whose widest possible participation in safeguarding activities States shall endeavour to ensure, in accordance with Article 15 of the Convention, an educational investment in students, as proposed in the request, would in the long term lead to strengthened capacities in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage at the national level;
Criterion A.7: From 2013 to 2015, Uganda benefited from financial assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund amounting to US$216,000 for the implementation of a project entitled ‘Inventorying the intangible cultural heritage of four communities in Uganda’. Since 2015, Uganda has also benefitted from financial assistance amounting to US$24,990 for the implementation of a project entitled ‘Safeguarding and promotion of Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of Busoga Kingdom in Uganda’. Uganda has also benefitted twice from preparatory assistance for the elaboration of nomination files to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, both culminating in inscriptions. For completed projects, Uganda has provided the work stipulated by the terms of reference of the corresponding signed contracts, in line with UNESCO’s regulations;
Paragraph 10(a): The project is national in scope and involves national implementing partners such as the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO and the Department of Culture and Family Affairs of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development;
Paragraph 10(b): The project is expected to trigger an increase in the number of courses on intangible cultural heritage at universities and other higher education institutions and thus an increase in the number of graduates with expertise in the field of safeguarding. Thanks to the availability of this greater number of trained academics and graduates, the interest of decision-makers and the general public may increase, as may support to similar initiatives;
- Approves the International Assistance request from Uganda for a project entitled Promoting intangible cultural heritage education in institutions of higher learning in Uganda and grants an amount of US$97,582 to the State Party to this end;
- Requests that the Secretariat reach an agreement with the requesting State Party on the technical details of the assistance, paying particular attention to the detailed budget of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. In so doing, it encourages the State Party to consider ways of engaging with communities, within the meaning of Article 15 of the Convention, in the implementation of the project, including in the definition of course content and the revision of teaching materials, and to revise the work plan and budget within the limits of the amount granted, where applicable;
- Invites the State Party to use the ICH-04-Report Form when reporting on the use of the assistance provided.