Benefitting country(ies): Gabon
Overview:
Having benefited from capacity building activities, Gabon has recognized the need for a safeguarding action towards the intangible cultural heritage of Pygmy populations, for which surveys conducted with these populations highlighted the endangered elements constituent to their identity. The project proposed aims to draw up an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of the Pygmy populations Babongo, Baka and Bakoya. More specifically, the project will allow for the development of an inventory methodology adapted to the cultural context of the Pygmy communities, the identification of elements of these communities and those requiring urgent safeguarding, and the development of a national action plan for their safeguard. At the institutional level, the implementation of the project will allow for the operationalization of the Census Bureau in charge of the inventories of intangible cultural heritage since 2012 in Directorate of Cultural Heritage Conservation (DCPC) and the results will feed the finalization of the draft law establishing the cultural charter in which Gabon has been engaged since 2011. As for the local beneficiary communities, they will see their capacity reinforced with a view to initiating safeguarding actions and the promotion of their intangible cultural heritage for a better knowledge of their identity and their endogenous development. The groups and associations representing these communities, in particular the Movement of Indigenous Minorities and Pygmies of Gabon (MINAPYGA) and the Association for Good Medical and Environmental Actions (ABAME), will be equally important beneficiaries who will be able to capitalize on the results of the project to enrich their activities to favour the development and the recognition of communities through intangible cultural heritage. Finally, the distribution of the inventory results, notably in brochure format, will contribute to a better mutual knowledge of the intangible cultural heritage of the different Pygmy communities, contributing to the reinforcement of mutual respect and intercultural dialogue on a national level.
News and activities:
02/09/2013 - 31/08/2015 – Documentation, promotion and dissemination of the Candombe traditional drum calls, expressions of identity of the Sur, Palermo, and Cordón neighbourhoods in the city of Montevideo25/05/2015 - 12/06/2015 – Safeguarding and promotion of Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of Busoga Kingdom in Uganda