GABORONE, Dec. 7, (Xinhua/GNA) — Botswana is currently hosting the 18th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Kasane, Botswana’s Chobe area, about 925 km from Gaborone, the country’s capital.
President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi said Monday that the hosting of the event demonstrated the importance of the ICH safeguarding and transmission of living heritage so much cherished by Batswana.
The session, which will run from Dec. 4-9, will allow the committee to review nominations for the inscription of 55 cultural practices submitted by 72 state parties. The occasion also marks the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention, which has reinforced the world’s legal arsenal for cultural conservation.
“The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage considers communities as the drivers of the Convention, as it is the communities that decide which cultural practices and norms are important to them and in need of safeguarding for future generations. This is in line with my government’s approach to development, which is people-centered,” stated Masisi.
Botswana has been successful in inscribing three elements on the UNESCO list needing urgent safeguarding. Earthenware pottery-making skills and Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela Dikopelo folk music were inscribed in 2012 and 2017, respectively. In 2019, the third component, the Seperu folk dance and associated practices from the Chobe District was also included on the UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding List.