Workshop focuses on importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage |26 July 2017

A three-day workshop on the implementation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was officially launched yesterday morning.

The term ‘intangible cultural heritage’ means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith, as well as communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognised as part of their cultural heritage.

It is the first of a series of activities being organised by the National Heritage Research and Protection Section financed by Unesco with the aim of raising awareness of decision makers, non-governmental organisations and communities’ representatives from the three main islands on the importance of intangible cultural heritage as a vector of cultural diversity and sustainable development, as well as on the mechanisms of the 2003 Unesco Convention. As for the series of activities they have as overall objective to strengthen the capacity of Seychelles in the implementation of the convention.

Present at the opening were the new principal secretary for culture, Cecile Kalebi; secretary general for Unesco in Seychelles Marie Reine Hoareau, officials of the culture department and stakeholders’ representatives.

It is being facilitated by two international facilitators from Unesco -- Deidre Prins-Solani and Lovemore C. J. Mazibuko.

In her opening remarks, Mrs Kalebi said this workshop came at an opportune time when the department of culture is reviewing its cultural policy and engaging other stakeholders to sensitise them on the importance of safeguarding our cultural heritage.

“We need to keep in mind that culture is a cross-cutting issue; that it is embedded in our everyday life, in our way of living, our values and beliefs to the way we interact with each other, from our knowledge and practices in agriculture, fisheries, craftmanship, the environment, architecture, just to name a few. When it comes to safeguarding our country’s intangible cultural heritage, as decision-makers we have to ensure we are committed and engaged,” said Mrs Kalebi.

She said the goal of the workshop is to empower the participants so they can be agents and facilitators not only in the implementation of the 2003 Unesco Convention for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, but also as champions to safeguard the cultural heritage throughout the communities.

The workshop in fact kick started a series of activities aimed at ensuring all the necessary tools including policies, legislations are in place for more effective safeguard of Seychelles’ intangible cultural heritage.

At the same time it provides the local communities, decision makers, technicians with all the necessary skills and knowledge to guide and speed up the process.

Mrs Prins-Solani gave an overview of the contents and proceedings of the three-day workshop which she described as a starting point consisting of an introduction to the convention and its concept, where the participants are able to grasp some of the ways in which the convention has developed a language of its own so that the participants can use that language in the work they are doing as facilitators and as champions.

She added the convention is so community-based and so community-orientated.

“The work that we do really is to work together with communities as opposed to talking to communities, looking at communities. So the role and responsibilities as to how the convention is implemented is a very important and valuable conversation to have to see and recognise how one does that,” she said.

Another significant and critical area she said the workshop will look at is the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development.