Institutional capacity building workshop for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage was organized in Ndjamena, Chad, from October 31 to November 2, by the National Commission, the Ministry of Tourism Development, Culture and Craft and the regional UNESCO office. The workshop was co-facilitated by the Culture specialist of the UNESCO office in Yaoundé and the regional expert, Mr. Jean-Omer NATADY.

Some fifty people took part in the workshop that was held is the National Museum in Ndjamena. There were representative from the Ministry of Tourism Development, Culture and Crafts, from the Ministry of Environment, from Ndjamena University, and from the National Radio and Television Office, some of the young people who attended the regional youth forum on ICH in Brazzaville, the National Youth Advisory Council, the National Commission and the Delegations from the provincial Ministry of Culture.

This workshop was an opportunity for intercultural exchanges between the trainers and the institutions responsible for culture in Chad. The field visit to the site of Gaoui and more precisely in the Kotoko chiefdom where women make pottery was an occasion to insist on the importance of transmission, the communities’ role and on the fact that in accordance to Articles 11 and 12 of the 2003 Convention, the objective of the inventory is to contribute to the safeguarding and the updating of ICH elements.

Among the results, we can note that the fifty people who took part in the workshop (amongst whom were officials from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment) have gained a better knowledge of the 2003 Convention and now know the difference between Objects and Element and are conscious of the role and implications of inventories.

Recommendations have been made to Chad and to UNESCO:

To Chad:

• Give sufficient resources to the directorate responsible for protection, preservation and safeguarding of the national heritage to inventory the representative elements of intangible cultural heritage in the country;
  
• Train culture professionals in the field of intangible cultural heritage
  
• Commit to contribute financially to the international organization

To UNESCO

• Continue to support Chad to strengthen the capacities of professionals of intangible cultural heritage to safeguard and to value the Chadian heritage
  
• Train the Directorate of Cultural Heritage to elaborate projects
  
• Provide expertise to the State to help it inventory its intangible cultural heritage
  
• Continue to support Chad in the promotion of intangible cultural heritage