As a new vision of cultural heritage is gaining prominence, UNESCO calls upon African universities to revisit their training programmes for future decision-makers and professionals in the field of heritage studies and sustainable development. Indeed, despite international recognition of intangible cultural heritage and its critical importance for sustainable development, the theme has been largely neglected in heritage studies in many parts of the world, notably in Africa. Therefore UNESCO identified the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) to organize a dedicated regional training workshop for teaching faculty from African universities in the field of intangible cultural heritage. It is supported by the Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and will be held at the CHDA premises in Mombasa, Kenya from 18 to 22 June 2012.

The workshop aims at raising the level of knowledge of African university teaching faculty in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, enabling them to incorporate the issue in their teaching and provide guidance for their future courses and programs on heritage and sustainable development.
It will be co-facilitated by Ms Deirdre Prins-Solani and Ms Harriet Deacon who are both part of the network of 65 facilitators trained by UNESCO to use the workshop materials developed by the Organization on implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Further information on the workshop: (inglés)

Contact in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Section : Susanne Schnuttgen, Chief, Capacity Building and Heritage Policy Unit, email: s.schnuttgen@unesco.org