ROSEAU, Dominica – The Dominica National Commission for UNESCO has launched the “Strengthening capacities at the national and local levels for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Dominica’ project here.
Bele dancing in Dominica (Photo courtesy Division of Culture-Dominica)The project, which was launched here on Friday is supported by Kuwait through the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund (ICH).
UNESCO said that the intangible heritage refers to the traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge, and practices concerning nature and the universe, or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.
It said in Dominica, this is manifested through folk performing arts, including the traditional dances like Bele, Quadrille, Flirtation, Heel and Toe, Mazook, our musical instruments like the bamboo flute and tanbou (drum), jing-ping music, string band, Kweyol song, creative dance, short story writing and performing art, poetry, festivals and the making of the traditional dress.
“Safeguarding these practices is imperative to protecting Dominica’s heritage and cultural identity,” it said, adding that with a planned 18 months schedule for implementation, the project will be executed by Dominica’s National Commission for UNESCO in collaboration with the Division of Culture, through the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Community Development with the technical support of UNESCO.
“The project aims at strengthening the capacities of government officials, civil society, individual practitioners, and knowledge bearers to document, safeguard, and promote Dominica’s living or intangible heritage,” UNESCO said.
It said as a result, the island will be developing a roadmap on how to implement the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Dominica, which was ratified in 2005. Key activities will include a country needs assessment, inventorying, targeted policy advice and the review of national policies, programming, and public awareness activities targeting the media, public and youth populations.
The project applies a gender-responsive and inclusive multi-stakeholder approach, including collaboration with the indigenous communities in Dominica.
“A special emphasis of the project lies in strengthening the participation of indigenous communities and applying an inclusive approach, taking the voices of all stakeholders and local communities, including youth, women, heritage community leaders, traditional bearers, and practitioners into account.
“Their participation is pivotal to generating awareness and fostering self-appropriation and ownership,” said Anna Paolini, UNESCO Representative in Dominica and Director of the UNESCO Office in Jamaica.
