General objectives
1. Increasing accessibility and availability, for the present and future generations, of information and knowledge of ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system for it’s five communities in Uganda.
2. Enhancing the capacity of bearers of the traditional Empaako naming system to transmit, to successive generations, it’s knowledge, meaning and social values through appropriate observance of its ceremonies and practices.
Specific Objectives
1- Participatory review of the general safeguarding plan in light of the gaps identified during inscription.
2- Establishing structure and mechanisms for effective community and stakeholders participation in safeguarding programme.
3- Establishing strategy for raising the required resources for implementation of the safe guarding plan.
4- Raising awareness of the communities and stakeholders on Empaako tradition and the need to safeguard it.
5- Mobilizing clans and ritual leaders to revitalize observance of Empaako naming rituals and ceremonies.
Results attained in the reporting period.
1- The safeguarding plan reviewed in light of the gaps identified at inscription and launched.
2- Safeguarding programme structure and mechanisms for effective community and stakeholders’ participation in implementation of safeguarding plan established and commissioned.
3- A strategy for raising resources from local, national and international sources established and requests developed and submitted to UNESCO and two other potential supplementary donors.
4- The awareness of the communities and stakeholders in Empaako tradition and need to safeguard it, raised through three festivals, pubic event involving the president, artistic productions (music and monument) and publication of brochure.
5- The leaders of rituals and 44 clans mobilized, to revitalize observance of naming ceremonies through the established monthly clans representative forum and pronouncement of Kings and Cultural Leaders.

1- Reviewing of the safeguarding plan.
A stakeholders participatory process to review a general safeguarding plan was initiated in December 2013 immediately after inscription. This aimed at addressing the gaps and strengthening the plan which was evaluated at inscription stage. An expert was engaged who facilitated the communities to come up with the plan. The process was coordinated and funded by Engabu Za Tooro – Tooro Youth Platform for Action and received financial contributions from clans in Empaako communities.
2- In the same participatory way the International Assistance Request tailored to the technical specifications of Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund was elaborated and submitted to UNESCO. This request titled “Community Self-documental and revitalization of ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda” focuses on comprehensive documentation of rituals, Ceremonies and practices by practitioners themselves alongside established mechanisms for encouraging revitalization.
3- Two proposals, picking on specific aspects of the safeguarding plan tailored to specific requirements of particular potential donors, have also been submitted for possible supplementary resources to implement the plan.
4- An implementation structure and mechanisms for effective participation of communities and stakeholders has been established and commissioned. It includes a Project Management Committee constituted by stakeholders from government, NGOs and community institutions. It is structured from community to central level. Alongside this, a monthly clans’ representatives forum is established as a communication, consultative and advisory organ.
5- A three months pilot Empaako heritage conservation project was implemented by Banyoro communities. This project involved using aspect of planting a true during Empaako naming ceremonies to promote tree planting linked to environmental sustainability. The project is intended to scale up in its subsequent phases.
6- Three festivals were held in three communities on the theme of celebrating inscription and launching safeguarding plan. They include Banyabindi Empaako festival at Kinyamasoke 28th – 29th November 2014, Batuku festival at Rwebisengo 26 – 27 December 2014 and Batooro Empaako inscription celebrations on 17th June 2014. These events raised awareness on the need to safeguard Empaako heritage and cultural leaders used the forum to make pronouncements encouraging their followers to revive observance of the ceremonies and practices of Empaako heritage.
7- A brochure on the process of inscription and lay out of the safeguarding plan was produced and distributed to guide and inform community members on how safeguarding plan is progressing.
8- A monthly clans’ representative forum which started during nomination campaign was consolidated and focused on reviewing safeguarding plan, developing proposals and trickling down information to grassroots and mobilizing clans and ritual leaders to revitalize observance of naming ritual and ceremonies.
9- The inscription attracted different talent groups to express themselves on the social significance of Empaako heritage and contributed to raising awareness of the need to revive the ceremonies and practices. Performing Artists produced and launched three music items and the visual artists raised a monument in memory of inscription in Fort Portal, the biggest town in Empaako land.
10- The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development organized a national press conference presided over by the minister, to inform the country about the inscription and raise awareness about the need for safeguarding the element. The same message was passed on during several regional and national cultural workshops organized or presided over by the ministry. The ministry staff further visited communities to monitor implementation of safeguarding and established communication channels and reporting format and schedule.
11- The Batooro community organized a function presided over by the President of the Republic of Uganda and cultural leaders to officially acknowledge the certificate of inscription from UNESCO and pass it over to the communities. In his remarks, the president called on leaders in all categories of institutions to encourage communities to safeguard heritage for consolidation of national identity and development.
As a challenge the supplementary funding sources tend to pick on aspects of the safeguarding plan which easily link to their own focus and which are at a higher level in the systematic progress of implementation of the plan. This may attract efforts that are not systematically built. Documentation which is the core activity in the safeguarding plan do not easily link to mandates of supplementary funding sources and the targeted core funding from either government or UNESCO may over delay because completing priorities and long application processes.

Representatives of community groups as clearly demonstrated in the statement of activities above, initiated executed, and contributed funding to most of the activities done.
Engabu Za Tooro – Tooro Youth Platform for Action is a Ugandan NGO founded in 1999. Its mission is strengthening the capacity of communities through development of cultural enterprises and promotion of folk Art and indigenous knowledge research.
The organization is governed by a nine member Board of Directors and Annual General Meeting of 200 grassroots’ art and cultural groups, Youth, women and elders associations.
For the last 15 years it has continuously implemented projects in the areas of cultural research, documentation, inventorying, production of folklore, professionalizing cultural service providers and promotion of cultural enterprises and performing Arts.
The organization has been funded by the international partners including Hivos (Ten years), Common Wealth Foundation, Prince Claus Fund for Cultural and Development, CIDA, Concern Worldwide and Goal-Uganda among others.
It is a member of several national and international networks in the fields of Art and Culture. Since 2009 it has been accredited and participates, in observer capacity, in the discussions at WIPO aimed at establishing an international instrument for protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and cultural expressions. It was recommended in 2010 and subsequently accredited in 2012 to offer advisory services to the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding the ICH. Since then, it has participated in most of the convention’s statutory meetings, activities of the forum of the NGOs’ accredited to the committee and two international capacity building workshops on the convention. At national level, it has supported the State Party to implement the convention through raising awareness, facilitating several inventorying projects and facilitating nomination of two elements so far and one of which is inscribed, currently facilitating implementation of Post-inscription safeguarding programmes.
The organization is currently holding the chair of a national forum of researchers, experts and scholars of intangible cultural heritage which promotes understanding of ICH and implementation of its UNESCO Convention in the country.
Engabu Za Tooro currently has a core team of 4 senior staff and a net work of volunteers and consultants.
The roles of implementing organization has included the following among others
• Providing secretariat for coordination of stakeholders who include different participating community, government and NGO institutions, and UNESCO secretariat.
• Providing technical backing and facilitation to community- led safeguarding initiatives.
• Ensuring strategic focus and complementarily of different initiatives and contributions towards an effective general safeguarding programme.
• Ensuring financial and technical accountability to the activities that are centrally organized.

Duration: 16 months from December 2013 to March 2015

Activity Month(s) & year Funds
(US $) Source of Funding
National Press Conference December 2013 Government
Reviewing safeguarding plan Jan 2014 – May 2014 20,000 - Engabu Za Tooro
- Communities.
Developing a Brochure June 2014 1,000 NGO – Engabu Za Tooro
Producings Music items March – July 2014 6,000 NGOs
Building monument May – July 2014 10,000 Bayimba Cultural Foundation-Artists
Empaako heritage conservation project August – Oct 2014 3,600 Cross cultural Foundation of Uganda
Batooro Empaako festival July 2014 9,000 Engabu Za Tooro & Communities
Banyabindi Empaako festival November 2014 3,000 Community
Batuku Annual Cultural festival December 2014 2,500 Community
Elaborating international Assistance request May 2014 – March 2015 10,000 Engabu Za Tooro
Twerwaneho Listeners’ Club
10 Clans
Developing proposal to two Donors Jan to March 2015 3,000 Engabu Za Tooro
Establishing structure and mechanism May 20 –Dec 2014 7,000 Government
Monthly Clan representative forum Dec 2013 – March 2015 25,000 NGOs
Communities
Monitoring and technical guidance Dec 2014 – March 2015 Government

The activities are in two categories;
Those which were centrally initiated and coordinated like review of Safeguarding Plan, Proposal development, establishing structures and mechanisms, clan representatives forum, development of brochure and general monitoring. There were also activities which were initiated by diverse voluntary stakeholders and targeting one or two communities.
These worked out their own time table at community level although coordinating with the secretariat. This work plan therefore combines the two activity categories and summarizes the individual work plans of specific activities.

It is important to note that the current report covers 16 months from the date of inscription to the submission of this report. (4th December 2013 to 30th March 2015). The activities therefore have an effect on raising awareness of the communities and the general society on the inscription of Empaako element and the need to safeguard it. This is the first and fundamental step envisaged in the Safeguarding Plan. The second area of effect under the constraint of this reporting time frame can only be launching of the Safeguarding plan and starting off efforts for revitalization of observance of ceremonies.

The activities and strategies based on the reporting period were very effective to raising awareness, not only on safeguarding the Empaako element in question but also intangible cultural heritage of the communities in general. The impact was not on the targeted concerned Empaako communities only but also on the general population of Uganda.

The monthly clans representative forum which receive information, discuss and plan safeguarding activities, have been effective in trickling down information and learning to the grassroots. Therefore the awareness of the grassroots people who are the bearers and custodians of the heritage was sufficiently raised. The organization of public events like national press conference, festivals and activities involving public leaders scaled up the awareness raising impact. It also underscored the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage as a concern that is crosscutting all sections of society.

The contribution of performing and visual artists by adopting the message into their products opened up the spreading of safeguarding initiatives into all human talent areas, professions and activities. Moreover, their artistic products make the message permanently present or visible. The monument, for instance, raised in the center of the biggest town is now a place of memory, reflection and cultural education where people continuously gather and take memorable photographs. The brochure put the concrete message of the intended safeguarding plan on record, making it easily accessible and transferable.

The safeguarding plan, designed using a participatory approach and attracting diverse contributions both in the design and implementation, was effectively developed. However tasks that wholly targeted funding from community contributions, suffered disjointed implementation as contributions come in bits and such tasks can only survive on services of community volunteers but not hired consultants, experts and commercial service providers.

A general safeguarding plan that allows diverse contributions from diverse sources may face ca the focus and systematic progress. For instance pilot project which uses one of the rituals to promote planting of trees would better have come after implementation of documentation of rituals and meanings of the ceremonies. While it is not easy to get a funder of a project on documentation, except from government or UNESCO, it is easy to get one on using the heritage to promote peace building, conflict resolution or environmental sustainability which are aspects of the element. Yet in the proper progress of safeguarding plan those aspects should come after awareness raising, documentation and revitalization of observance of ceremonies.