Decisión de la Mesa: 13.COM 1.BUR 3.4

The Bureau,

  1. Recalling Article 23 of the Convention as well as Chapter I.4 of the Operational Directives relating to the eligibility and criteria of International Assistance requests,
  2. Having examined Document ITH/18/13.COM 1.BUR/3 as well as International Assistance request no. 01312 submitted by Zimbabwe,
  3. Takes note that Zimbabwe has requested International Assistance for the project entitled Inventorying oral traditions, expressions, local knowledge and practices of the Korekore of Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe:

The request is to support a project implemented by Chinhoyi University of Technology, aimed at producing a comprehensive inventory of the oral traditions, expressions, local knowledge and practices of the communities of the Hurungwe district in north-western Zimbabwe. Despite the abundance of living heritage in the region, a shortage of resources and skills necessary for the implementation of the 2003 Convention has been noted, and traditional leaders in the district have raised concerns over the years about the disappearance and distortion of traditional knowledge and practices. As such, the project aims to contribute to the safeguarding efforts of the country through the following activities: the translation of the Convention into the main local language; a three-day workshop to raise awareness of the Convention among twenty traditional leaders and thirty community members; a further five-day workshop to train thirty community members and twenty university staff and students in community-based inventorying; and the inventorying of oral traditions, expressions, local knowledge and practices in the district. The community members will also produce an Action Plan to enable them to continue the inventorying efforts after the end of the project.

  1. Further takes note that this assistance is to support a project implemented at the local level, in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention, and that it takes the form of the provision of a grant, pursuant to Article 21 (g) of the Convention;
  2. Also takes note that Zimbabwe has requested assistance in the amount of US$93,242.50 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the implementation of this project;
  3. Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 01312, 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: Prior to the submission of this request, the implementing organization conducted wide community consultations to learn about the main concerns regarding the oral traditions and expressions of the Korekore people in the Hurungwe district. The request foresees the involvement of the community, including community leaders, women and youth, during the project implementation phase. Community members will be involved in reviewing the work plans, identifying the intangible cultural heritage elements to be inventoried as well as in the awareness-raising and inventorying workshops and the inventorying fieldwork. In addition, the communities concerned will participate in the final validation of the inventoried elements;

Criterion A.2: The budget is clearly presented in general, reflecting the planned activities and their related expenses, and therefore the overall amount requested may be considered appropriate for the implementation of the proposed activities. However, more precise and detailed information for some expenditure items such as ‘the procurement of inventorying equipment’ would have been appreciated;

Criterion A.3: The activities proposed are well-conceived in relation to the objectives and expected results of the project. They mainly cover translation, and awareness-raising and inventorying activities, which will be implemented with the support of trained intangible cultural heritage experts in the country and the Southern Africa Intangible Cultural Heritage Platform. A system of regular monitoring and evaluation is also foreseen, with the involvement of the implementing partners. However, details are lacking regarding certain activities, particularly for the inventorying activity. Further detailed information on the methodology of the fieldwork and data collection and the inventorying process would have allowed for a better assessment of the feasibility of these activities;

Criterion A.4: One of the main outcomes of the project concerns the establishment of a future inventory, which is in line with the national strategy and plan for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The request also proposes a ‘training of trainers’ approach to ensure that the capacity and skills acquired through the training continue beyond the duration of the project. It is also expected that the equipment to be purchased within the framework of this project will be utilized for future projects documenting intangible cultural heritage;

Criterion A.5: Although the State Party does not share the costs of the activities for which International Assistance is requested, the project will benefit from other contributions from unspecified funding sources, which account for 46 per cent of the total budget of the project;

Criterion A.6: The request seeks to build the capacities of the communities by increasing their awareness and relevant skills for inventorying, which will contribute to ensuring the viability of the oral traditions and expressions in the region concerned. Furthermore, the skills acquired by the researchers from the implementing agency during the project will help to continue the inventorying work and other safeguarding efforts in the region;

Criterion A.7: Zimbabwe has benefitted from International Assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund twice, for the projects entitled ‘Manyanga Misumo Protocol’ (File no. 00489, 2011, US$12,000), carried out by the Manyanga Traditional Custodians, and ‘Safeguarding cultural heritage aspects of Njelele’ (File no. 00552, 2011-2012, US$25,000), implemented by the National Archives of Zimbabwe. The work stipulated by the contracts related to these projects was carried out in compliance with UNESCO’s regulations;

Paragraph 10(a): The project is local in scope and involves national and regional implementing partners such as the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee and the Southern Africa Intangible Cultural Heritage Platform;

Paragraph 10(b): Although the request does not clearly address how the assistance would stimulate financial or technical contributions from other sources, it highlights that the expected results of the project could raise the interest of other communities in inventorying and safeguarding their respective intangible cultural heritage.

  1. Approves the International Assistance request from Zimbabwe for the project entitled Inventorying oral traditions, expressions, local knowledge and practices of the Korekore of Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe and grants the amount of US$93,242.50 to the State Party to this end;
  2. Commends the efforts made by the State Party to revise its initial request, following the advice provided by the Secretariat through its technical assessment;
  3. Requests that the Secretariat reach an agreement with the requesting State Party on the technical details of the assistance, paying particular attention to ensuring that the detailed work plan and budget of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund are specific enough to provide a sufficient justification of the expenditures;
  4. Invites the State Party to use Form ICH-04 Report when reporting on the use of the assistance provided.

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