04 Dec 2023

Botswana is committed to continuing working with UNESCO to deliver on the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of humanity for generations to come.

Officially opening the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kasane on Monday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi expressed gratitude to UNESCO for having selected Botswana as the eighth African country to host the session.

He said Botswana’s culture policy recognised the importance of intangible cultural heritage, and that hosting the 18th session demonstrated the importance of intangible cultural heritage, it’s safeguarding and transmission of living heritage as cherished by Batswana.

President Masisi said by working with the community of nations through UNESCO, Botswana stood to benefit through preserving Tswana culture, language and traditions.

He said the 2003 UNESCO convention considered communities as the drivers of the convention because they decided the cultural practices and norms, which were important to them and in need of safeguarding for future generations.

He said UNESCO’s mandate of safeguarding and preserving intangible cultural heritage was a reminder of the necessity to recognise and celebrate humanity’s infinite, diverse and intriguing cultural capacities as well as creations that sustained lives.

He also noted that all delegates from across the globe represented and cherished certain elements of intangible culture, adding that the cultures were anthropologically and sociologically called ‘non-material culture’ and that they formed a part of the core of one’s social identity markers.

President Masisi also said Botswana had successfully inscribed three elements into the UNESCO list needing urgent safeguarding.

He listed them as the earthenware pottery making skills, Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela which were inscribed in 2012 and 2017 respectively, and the Seperu folk dance and associated practices from Chobe District inscribed in 2019.

He said Botswana had received technical support and financial assistance from UNESCO with Bakgatla communities receiving over P700 000 for the implementation of a safeguarding plan for the earthenware pottery making skills.

He also noted that UNESCO had funded safeguarding of Seperu folk dance and associated practices with P1.2 million.

For his part, assistant director general of UNESCO for culture, Mr Ernesto Ottone said the 18th session celebrated and reaffirmed the power and purpose of culture in social cohesion and unity.

He said it was fitting that the session was hosted in Kasane with its diverse cultures, noting that cultural heritage and preservation were a critical component of sustainable development goals. “This session is an opportunity to highlight the role of community in the preservation of cultural heritage as we continue to firmly anchor culture in the global agenda,” he said.

He said the session would produce tangible results and accord committee members the opportunity to review bid books, propose operational directives and to elect a new committee for the evaluation board. ENDS