Intangible cultural heritage in action in Angola and Sao Tome and Principe

• 23 November 2015
• Angola, Sao Tome and Principe,

After seven months of field work in the communities of Boa Morte and Santo Antonio the National Directorate of Culture of Sao Tomé and Principe evaluates the results of the Inventory exercise, which was launched in April this year. From 23 to 27 November 2015 some 25 actors involved in gathering the information during this period meet to identify lessons learnt and consolidate an action plan for the future ICH safeguarding efforts in the archipelago. To ensure continuity of the April workshop, UNESCO expert facilitators will provide guidance in taking stock of the findings and developing the national strategy. In the same vein of continuity the culture officer from Cabo Verde will once more participate in Sao Tome to share the experience gained in the process with his colleagues in Cabo Verde who currently develop their own community-based inventory.
Further south at the Atlantic coast, Angola has just launched the series of capacity building workshops in Luanda. The workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at national level closed on 13 November 2015. The National Cultural Heritage Institute of Angola in cooperation with UNESCO convened a group of 18 technicians, government representatives and university students to set the conceptual foundation and prepare for national ICH safeguarding activities in Angola. Pursuing the efforts to strengthen regional cooperation among PALOP countries for ICH safeguarding, two UNESCO expert facilitators from Mozambique facilitated the workshop.
The workshops are organized in the framework of the UNESCO capacity-building programme to reinforce the safeguarding of living heritage in the African Portuguese speaking countries (PALOP), made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.