Full programme of the ICH NGO Forum for 17COM

PROGRAMME ICH NGO Forum Activities 17COM 2022Seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural HeritageSection of Ballroom, Sofitel Hotel, 450 Quartier Aviation, Rabat, MoroccoSunday, 27 November to Saturday 3 December (The schedule is indicated in Rabat time, UTC+1, same as Central European Time, CET, UTC +1)Zoom link for online participation during the entire week:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81821818235?pwd=Y0ZnUjZtRCtraVcyT2RRWTd0WWZiUT09ID of meeting : 818 2181 8235   Secret Code : 043359  Sunday, 27 November, 2022 10:00 to 11:50 AMPresentations of projects by recently accredited NGOsChairs: Tamara Nikolić Đerić, Association House of Batana (Croatia), and Sekou Berte, Mali Cultural Heritage Agency (Mali) 10:00 to 10:40 AMPaulina Adamska and Urszula Szwed, Serfenta (Poland)Susanne Verburg and Mark Schep, Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage (Netherlands)Chloé Battistolo, L’Institut national des métiers d’art français (France)Ahmet Akcan and Sona T

The seventeenth session (17COM) of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

The seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat (Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses) from 28 November to 3 December 2022.H.E. Mr Samir Addahre, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO, will chair this annual gathering which will be attended by representatives of States Parties, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions and other stakeholders from across the globe. Participants are invited to register as soon as possible and in any case before 14 November 2022.General information for this session will be published on this webpage. An information and exchange meeting was held on 4 October 2022 at UNESCO Headquarters.The working documents of the meeting will be published on this webpage by 31 October 2022.https://ich.unesco.org/en/17com

Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana community, a cultural heritage in need of safeguarding

1. Definition of Gbofe The Gbofe is a musical-choreographic expression whose practice is based on four distinct forms: trumpet players called gbofé hienlin, singers named Kielé, dancers named Yoor féhelé, and drummers, ping hienlin. Put together, these four formations build what is called the Gbofé hienlin.[1] The gbofe trump players orchestra is translated into the Tagbana language by the singers. Their songs are set in stride by the Yoor Féhele, who dance to the rhythms of the pindrè ( chalice-shaped drum, with a membrane). The latter is accompanied by the djomanhan (two-membrane cylindrical tambour) which supports the pindre at a two-stroke rate. The Gbofe is Known as a music and dance performed by the Tagbana community of Cote d’Ivoire. However, It's found in many different parts of Country, but under other names. If tagbana gbofé is made of wood in other parts of Cote d'Ivoire, it is made from "Ivoiry, animal horn, bronze, iron. 2- Origins of the Gbofe According to Afounkaha's Gbofé custodians, the Gbofé will come from Koutiala, Mali. It was his entry into Senufo country and then into the Tagbana community, during the conquest of the region by Mory and Samory Touré. According to Traoré Otamnan, chief of the village of Afounkaha[2], “Gbofé would be a form of musical expression specific to the large Senoufo group. The Tagbana also practice it because like other Senufo communities, they are heirs to it. Following the wars of Mory and Samory Touré (1885 -1890) during which the Tagbana people dispersed, the Gbofé gradually died out and its original characteristics were lost. The elders who survived this disaster tried to restore it, but it was a waste of time”. A long time later, genies would have, through a dream, asked Ouattara Pétahaman (son of the Tagbana’s people) to take over the Gbofé. He then became the creator father of the Gbofé. They would have asked him to go into the bush, collect the roots of the nangran-an (tree from which the roots used to make trunks are extracted) and use them to make the gbofe. Then, they asked him to take the trunks of the fitioo (tree from which the drums of Gbofé are made), to make the drums. And finally, the genies asked him to teach to the women, the songs they have taught him in the dream, and to the young people the Gbofé yoor (Gbofe dance).These recommendations were followed to the letter by Pétahaman and the Gbofé was reborn. 3- Function of the Gbofe The Gbofe has the function of education, for youth in particular since this traditional knowledge is most often passed down from father to son, but also other young talents can also join in the training sessions. The Gbofe is also played at rituals and traditional ceremonies, and the messages conveyed vary according to the circumstances: praise, love, satire, mourning, moral or educational messages. The Gbofe played an important role by conferring respect towards the holders of the tradition, and maintains culture unity, peace and social cohesion between communities and people. The various Gbofe performers follow an apprenticeship. It is also used for celebration such us marriages, baptisms and funerals, but usually for authorities or great personalities. For it is formerly a sacred dance, a music reserved for the elites. The players are most often notables or important people of the community. 4- Gbofe as intangible heritage of humanity The Gbofe’s nomination in 2008 as intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO was the result of long years of work and it was possible thank the studies and the promotion made by Yegnan Touré G Angeline[3], the Gbofe Expert in Cote d’Ivoire. In 1998, after her graduation at INSAAC (National Institut of Arts Cultural Action), she did a master’s degree in the field of music and musicology at the Félix Houphouët Boigny University. The master thesis subject was “the Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana community” which allowed the Gbofe to be proclaimed as “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO in 2001". In At the national level, this research on the Gbofe of Afounkaha has allowed this form of musical expression, once endangered, to be reborn and so to be practiced again not only the village of Afounkaha but in all the Hambol region of Cote d’Ivoire. It sparked the development of crafts around Gbofé: the sculpture of Gbofé trumpets, the manufacture of drums, the weaving of the loincloths worn by the singers and dancers of Gbofé. 5. The Gbofe of Afounkaha in need of saveguarding However, most of the people in Cote d’Ivoire do know this precious cultural masterpiece. Few years after its nomination in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity, once more again the Gbofe is endangered due to a lack of local promotion and because of the rural exodus the practice of Gbofe has ceased. Which causes a decline in the number of those mastering the art and techniques of the dance, songs and music. Since its creation in 2004, the Association for the Safeguarding of the Music of the Transverse Trumps of Côte d'Ivoire (ASMT-CI) is a non-governmental organization composed of owners, practitioners and supporters, its mission has been to work under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture to safeguard and perpetuate the Gbofe but its actions seem still limited. In addition, a contract was signed between UNESCO and the Cote d’Ivoire National Commission for UNESCO, for a safeguarding project’s implementation in 2013[4]. After some negotiations the The Secretariat was obliged to cancel the contract and request reimbursement of the advance as no nomination file was submitted within the statutory time-limits but the subject is still on the table. More efforts has to be done so that younger generations can know that one part of their identity through the Gbofe. Sources [1]. <a href="http://www.angelineyegnan.org/le-gbofe/ retrieved 2022.4.1">http://www.angelineyegnan.org/le-gbofe/ retrieved 2022.4.1</a> [2]. ibid (by Angeline Yegnan) [3]. Angeline Yegnan's full Biography <a href="https://www.iremus.cnrs.fr/fr/doctorants/angeline-gninwoyo-yegnan-toure retreived 2022.3.30"> https://www.iremus.cnrs.fr/fr/doctorants/angeline-gninwoyo-yegnan-toure retreived 2022.3.30</a> [4]. <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/assistances/-00292 retrieved 2022.4.4"> https://ich.unesco.org/en/assistances/-00292 retrieved 2022.4.4</a>

Zaouli, cultural heritage of Côte d’Ivoire

Zaouli 1. Summary Zaouli is a folk music and dance performed in the Guro community living in Buaflé and Zuénoula cities, in the western center part of Cote d’Ivoire. More specifically, the Gnan community of Goitafla, the Man community of Manfla and Minigui, and the Wadjè village of Buaflé and Bogopinfla. These communities belong to the southern Mandé ethnic language group. Major related villages include Zrabisseifla, Bléfla, Mangfla, Marminigwi, Tibeita, Dianfla, and Buafla. People from these communities, regardless age or gender difference have a deep relationship with the Zaouli heritage, and have been carrying it throughout their lives since they were very young. The mask dance is practiced not only during joyful ceremonies but also for funerals and rituals. 2. Origins of Zaouli In most african countries, the belief in the existence of two dominant worlds( the physical world and the spiritual or metaphysical world) have a deep influence on people’s everyday life, so on the morals and cultural practises. In fact, there are two types dance: the masked (or hidden) dance and the unmasked (or exposed) dance. The first one concerns the Zaouli of the Guro population in Cote d’Ivoire, which is a dance that used a masked and special wearing technic. There are several masked dances that represents Guro people’s culture such as Djéla, Flaly, Bei Péénin (Bgopinfla village), Pawè (Tibéita village) but Zaouli (Zrabisseifla village) stays the most famous in that part of Cote d’Ivoire. The origins of Zaouli vary form one source to another, but we can summarise them in two types of considerations. The first one is based on a more spirit-oriented legend and the second one on factual creative and cultural act. 2.1 the zaouli legend[1] The myth around the creation of Zaouli gives usan explanation about his of name: Djèla Lou Zahouli which mean Zaouli, Djela’s daughter. In fact the Zaouli dancer who wears the mask is man but representing a feminine figure. Zah was the only daughter of a man. Her magical beauty impressed the whole community to the point that her fame went beyond the borders of her region of origin (Zara bi Sehifla/Gohitafla). The whole region thus seduced by this admirable beauty spoke of Zah appreciatively and permanently. However, one day, after a short illness, Zah suddenly died. This dramatic situation which makes his father (Djèla) unhappy and inconsolable to the point that everywhere he went, he cried for his deceased daughter. She was buried in pain because no one wanted to part with her. But the most painful, was for him to meet other young girls in the village. Like an haunted person, the sight of those girls always brought back memories of Zah. He mourned her everywhere: in the village, at the camp, in the backwater, while hunting, etc. One day, during a hunting trip, he began to cry profusely and was inconsolable. He wept so much that his daughter's (returning) spirit appeared to him in the form of a snake. This consoled him. However, to make him stop crying for good, the snake vomits up seven masks with the effigy of the face of Zah, his deceased daughter. The snake later revealed to him that these masks should be the subject of a dance, the future Djèla Lou Zahouli. This is why he also showed the dance steps. 2.2 Contemporary origins The contempory history of the Guro population places the creation of Zaouli around 1950s by a group of seven friends, among them Sonnin Bi Tah called Wonninla, KOUAHI Bi Vohizié the fisrt Zaouli dancer and leader and KOUAHI Bi Dueh Jean-Piere, the only one still alive[2]. According to Zamble Bi Zamble Gaspard[3], one day, on the occasion of a funeral ceremony in Zirifla (Zuénoula) as usual, these seven friends, plus many other people from Zara Bi Sehifla, went to Zirifla to take an active part in funerals. During these, a mask named Blou (hernia in the Gouro language) will particularly mark them thanks to his legendary performance and his talent. But Blou is a hideous-faced mask that contrasts with the talent he shows. The seven friends therefore decide to found the same dance in their village Zara Bi Séhifla, with the difference that they will change the morphology of the mask by carving it with the effigy of a woman named Klanin (small basin). These masks were three at the start: Zahouli Lou Klanin, Zahouli Lou Monhon, Zaleklou having a hawk and a snake on his head. After carving the first three masks, they will spend a year and six months in the bush to learn the dance steps and the rhythms of the orchestration. It is after this initiation that they will make their first performance in the public square of the village. On the designation of the mask, according to the informant, the Zahouli mask was so named by what is considered the eldest daughter of Djèla. Subsequently, they will complete the first three masks, with four others: Zamblé, Gou, Bognan Lou Zeli and Mami Watta who carries on her head seven snakes being seduced by this water goddess herself. Thus, the implementation and final fixing of the codes of Djèla Lou Zahouli was completed. 3. The Zaouli dance When the mask must occur because all these conditions are met (co-presence of the mask, the orchestra and the public), he goes out, sits down and naturally waits for the orchestra to give him the alert. The orchestra is composed by more than ten musicians who plays five different kind of tambour (flihin blin, Djéhimba, Klaglé, Krinnin krinin, Poho, Tombalo, Flinhin wouhokounzan, etc.) and three flutes called Beli[4]. The lead singer, a member of the orchestra, sings the first song. This song is taken up in chorus first by the other members of the orchestra. When the mask comes, his guide (Zaouli Zouhozanki) first put off the headscarf (locally called pagne) that covers not only the head by all the upper side of the body. The Zaouli dance is based the slipping technic The mask performs extremely fast dance steps and rhythms by the flutes of the orchestra. In fact some sources count it among the most impossible dances in the word[5]. Before its classification as World Heritage, The best of them, which were auditioned by a UNESCO jury, one of the best Zaouli dancer’s foot steps were timed at more than 200 steps per minute[6]. The mask must be original and imaginative while executing the dance steps. He must never do the same things twice at the risk of being discredited. Several dancers can follow one another and compete their talents in front of the public which appreciates. It is a parade of seven different masks that dance in turn. The subject in the songs relates either to proverbs, to the Guro cosmogony or to legends. The Zaouli is a total art combining music and dance, weaving, mask and costume. 4. The mask and his costume From one village to another the pieces of the costumes remain the same but the colors and their textures can change. the costumes rely entirely on the dancer. He wears stockings and sleeves. His head completely hidden by the mask. He wears a raffia skirt and a loincloth attached to the mask covers the upper body. His hands hold fly swatters in an ox tail. The dancer has bells attached to his ankles, below which are also attached raffia fibers. The mask represents a face often surmounted by figures of animals such as snakes, panthers, birds, characters or ram's horns. 4.1 The snake The circular serpent plays a fundamental role in the semanticization of the myth and in the relationship it establishes between the past and the present. The myth of Zaouli informs that it was in the form of a snake that the ghost, the nyama, the double of the young girl appeared to her inconsolable father. This variety of snake is likened to the rainbow. In the mentality of the Gouro, the rainbow is the celestial representation of this serpent. The reminder of the genesis and the strong acts that marked it reappear in this myth where the snake is in full complicity with the young girl (gouro reincarnation of Eve?). However, when appearing, the serpent presents itself in two fundamental aspects: the circular shape; rainbow snake. First, the circular shape naturally recalls the circle. It is this shape that the sculptors take up when carving the mask. In his presentation, the Zahouli always has a smiling face, surrounded by a circular snake which holds in front of him a bird which he does not eat. 4.2 The Bird The revelation of the pigeon as the Zahouli's eternal companion is that the bird's locomotion system allows it to go in all directions and at high altitude. Pigeons travel. They are migratory birds that travel thousands of kilometers sometimes going from one continent to another and crossing oceans. This mask has traveled all over the world, traveling all continents and participating in most festivals where the most representative Negro-African arts have been invited. The Zahouli de Tibéita (Bouaflé) has been released on May 2004 in the United States of America where he participated in the Negro Arts Festival entitled “Memphis in May”. As we can see, the Zahouli actually travels around the world spreading its initial spirit: life. 5. Zaouli in the world’s culture In 2015, The British-Sri Lankan rapper Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam known by her stage name M.I.A. included a clip of a Zaouli dancer in her music video for the song "Warrior"[7], released as part of the video Matahdatah Scroll 01: Broader Than A Border. the Zaouli of Manfla was released in November 2017 in South Korea on the occasion of the elevation of Zaouli by UNESCO as an element of world heritage. From that time foreward Ivorian traditional music has been promoted in South Korea through an African dance team named AMENE, which permitted mixed representation of Korean Pop music and Zaouli. It is the K-pop girl group Nature that released In 2022, a music video for their single "Rica Rica", featuring choreography which is heavily inspired by the Zaouli dance[8]. The group was trained by a Djembe master KONATE Ibrahim who plays an important role for the ivoirian culutre in Asia and South Korea. In 2018, the Zaouli dance was presented at the Ohio University World Music & Dance Concert[9] in USA. In addition, a popular video that includes the song "Bungee Jump" by electronic music artists Captain Hook & Astrix utilizes footage of Zaouli dancers[10]. Sources [1].TOUOUI BI IRIE ERNEST Professor at Félix Houphouët- Boigny University <a href="https://www.fratmat.info/article/86132/63/connaissance-du-zahouli-un-moment-d-instruction-sur-le-masque-et-sa-prestation-a-travers-des-cles-d-appreciation. retrieved on March 23 2022"> https://www.fratmat.info/article/86132/63/connaissance-du-zahouli-un-moment-d-instruction-sur-le-masque-et-sa-prestation-a-travers-des-cles-d-appreciation. retrieved on March 23 2022</a> [2]. <A la decouverte de Zaouli>, a report of NCI channel (Nouvelle chaine Ivoirenne), 2020.11.4. nenws of 7:50 pm <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfTn6nhh9_8 watched on March 22nd 2022">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfTn6nhh9_8 watched on March 22nd 2022 </a> [3].Oral source informant for TOUOUI BI IRIE ERNEST Professor at Félix Houphouët- Boigny University. <a href="https://www.fratmat.info/article/86132/63/connaissance-du-zahouli-un-moment-d-instruction-sur-le-masque-et-sa-prestation-a-travers-des-cles-d-appreciation. retrieved on March 23rd 2022)> https://www.fratmat.info/article/86132/63/connaissance-du-zahouli-un-moment-d-instruction-sur-le-masque-et-sa-prestation-a-travers-des-cles-d-appreciation. retrieved on March 23rd 2022) [4]. <a href="https://heritage.unesco.or.kr/%EC%9E%90%EC%9A%B8%EB%A6%AC-%EC%BD%94%ED%8A%B8%EB%94%94%EB%B6%80%EC%95%84%EB%A5%B4-%EA%B5%AC%EB%A1%9C-%EA%B3%B5%EB%8F%99%EC%B2%B4%EC%9D%98-%EB%8C%80%EC%A4%91%EC%9D%8C%EC%95%85%EA%B3%BC-%EC%B6%A4/ retrived 2022.3.25."> https://heritage.unesco.or.kr/%EC%9E%90%EC%9A%B8%EB%A6%AC-%EC%BD%94%ED%8A%B8%EB%94%94%EB%B6%80%EC%95%84%EB%A5%B4-%EA%B5%AC%EB%A1%9C-%EA%B3%B5%EB%8F%99%EC%B2%B4%EC%9D%98-%EB%8C%80%EC%A4%91%EC%9D%8C%EC%95%85%EA%B3%BC-%EC%B6%A4/ retrived 2022.3.25.</a> [5]. <a href="https://cuitandokter.com/ by otosection (most impossible dance in the world). retrived 2022.3.25."> https://cuitandokter.com/ by otosection (most impossible dance in the world). retrived 2022.3.25.</a> [6]. <a href="fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaouli, (our translation form french) retrieved 2022.03.21.">fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaouli, (our translation form french) retrieved 2022.03.21.</a> [7]. <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/watch-m-i-a-s-matahdatah-video-featuring-new-124014565431.html retrieved 2022.3.23."> https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/watch-m-i-a-s-matahdatah-video-featuring-new-124014565431.html retrieved 2022.3.23.</a> [8]. 맹선미 기자. 네이처 ‘RICA RICA’ 특별 퍼포맨스 영상… 아프리카 댄스와 자울리춤 컬래버. 비즈엔터 <a href="http://enter.etoday.co.kr/view/news_view.php?varAtcId=219356 retrieved 2022.3.25."> http://enter.etoday.co.kr/view/news_view.php?varAtcId=219356 retrieved 2022.3.25.</a> [9]. <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/news/archive/stories_17-18_03_world-dance-music-festival-2018.cfm retrieved 2022.3.24"> https://www.ohio.edu/news/archive/stories_17-18_03_world-dance-music-festival-2018.cfm retrieved 2022.3.24</a> [10]. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQXIDmb99uY retrieved 2022.3.25."> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQXIDmb99uY retrieved 2022.3.25.</a> Recommended videos 1. Folklore gouro, Cote d'Ivoire, (Glozran1) 2. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M512glKnl64">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M512glKnl64 </a> [코트디브아르 아프리카 이야기] 페스티벌 마사 Festival MASA 'Zaouli' 3. NATURE(네이처) X AMENE - RICA RICA Behind <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my77ACUKZWg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my77ACUKZWg </a>

2020 JIAPICH Finalist- ASAMA of Burkina Faso

Brief about ASAMA ASAMA is a non-profit association with a pan-African vocation. ASAMA was originally created in 1995 by a group of students convinced and concerned about the future of masks threatened by the numerous vices and excesses of modern society (neglect, abandonment, etc.) and wishing to support the societies of traditional masks in order to safeguard this heritage in danger. It was legally recognized as a non-profit organization by the Government of Burkina Faso in 1996. Its primary mandate is ① to promote research and assist in the safeguarding, promotion and preservation of African mask traditions, ② to urge and facilitate the cooperation between governments, national and international organizations and individuals interested in the preservation of traditional masks and mask performances, and ③ to drive governments to develop preservation policies of their mask traditions and fight against the looting of the cultural resources. ASAMA is led by two councils which are the ‘Board of the Fund for the safeguarding of masks’ and the ‘Council of the Institution’ ASAMA is accredited to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for ICH since 2012 and has been elected as a member of the Evaluation Body for 2019-2022. ASAMA of Burkina Faso is 2020 Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage Finalist

Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe

The Mbira/Sansi instrument are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs (at minimum), the right forefinger (most mbira), and sometimes the left forefinger. Musicologists classify it as a lamellaphone, part of the plucked idiophone family of musical instruments. The "Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe" was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. The transmission has occurred through apprenticeship within the family circle. Currently, transmission also takes place through formal coaching, and Mbira/Sansi making and playing is taught in some schools. The songs contain important messages, with some guarding children against bad behavior while others condemn negative behavior in the community for example.

Traditional Mauritian Sega: The Talented Mauritian Music

Although the exact origins of the Mauritian Sega is up for debate, what is not questioned is the pure talent and vibrant performing art that is the Mauritian Sega. The self-expressive songs are often in Creole, using traditional instruments such as the Ravann, Triangle, and the Maravann. As Mauritian society is a multicultural one, the Mauritian Sega helps to alleviate the different cultures and classes to come together for one unified performance. The Sega songs are slow to start usually, with the tempo gradually increasing the singer often sings in Creole or their own language and people dance in short steps moving their hip and hand to the beat. The main practitioners are singers, dancers who transmit their skills through teaching and imitation. Traditional Mauritian Sega was inscribed to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2014. References: ICH UNESCO, Wikipedia

Bigwala : The warm welcome of royal African hospitality, dance, and song

Bigwala : The warm welcome of royal African hospitality, dance, and song Bigwala is Busoga’s music, dance, and performance of Uganda. It was historically performed infront of kings who would want their people to come together through their customary dance and music. Bigwala is formed from trumpet players ranging from four to five players who are joined by the people singing and dancing. The lyrics are often about uniting under Bigwala, marriages, and other customary norm of Busoga. The important message of Bigwala is about Busoga’s hospitality and by showing the unity through music, dance, and overall comradery in the villages; fellowship is formed. Currently there are only three living masters of Bigwala, who can precisely inherit their skills to the next generation. All three masters are of old age so letting the world know of this precious art form is necessary. Watch the video on youtube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymWBjb1VzBc&t=10s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymWBjb1VzBc&t=10s</a> References ICH UNESCO, Newvision (<a href="www.newvision.co.ug">www.newvision.co.ug</a>)

2018 ICH NGO FORUM : Meetings with Assistant Director-General

Meetings on ICH NGO FORUM with Assistant Director-General !

ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee New Members!!

ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee New Members !! Welcome !

ELECTIONS of ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee

ELECTIONS of ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee Port-Louis, Mauritius

Ssirum : Traditional Korean Wrestling

Falconry, a living human heritage

Falconry is the traditional activity of keeping and training falcons and other raptors to take quarry in its natural state. Originally a way of obtaining food, falconry is today identified with camaraderie and sharing rather than subsistence. It is mainly found along migration flyways and corridors, and is practised by people of all ages, men and women, amateurs and professionals. Falconers develop a strong relationship and spiritual bond with their birds, and great commitment is required to breed, train, handle and fly the falcons. Falconry is handed down from generation to generation as a cultural tradition by various means, including mentoring, learning within families and formal training in clubs. In the United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, for example, falconers take their children to the desert and train them to handle the birds and build a relationship of trust with them. While falconers come from different backgrounds, they share common values, traditions and practices such as the methods of training and caring for birds, the equipment used and the bonding between falconer and bird, which are similar throughout the world. Falconry forms the basis of a wider cultural heritage, including traditional dress, food, songs, music, poetry and dance, all of which are sustained by the communities and clubs that practise it.