Resumen:

Before the civil war Somalia enjoyed a vibrant cultural life, in which traditional performing arts played a major role. Aware of the role that cultural practices may play in fostering social cohesion and in reconciliation processes in future post-conflict Somalia, the project aims to

• identify traditional performing arts practices of Somali people with a view to safeguarding this heritage,
• highlight the role that cultural practices can play in reconciliation process for the post conflict Somalia, and
• contribute to the rehabilitation of Somali culture.

Core activities of the project include:

• the identification of traditional performing arts of Somali communities in the North Eastern Province in Kenya;
• the preparation of a draft inventory of those traditions; and
• the acquisition of extant audiovisual materials related to traditional performing arts of Somali people.