“UNESCO co-funded Empaako safeguarding project should put emphasis on the youth so that it can be sustainably transmitted from generation to generation” Juliana Naume Akoryo.

The commissioner for culture in the Uganda ministry of Gender, Labour and social Juliana Naume Akoryo has appealed to the Empaako communities of the Banyoro, Batooro, Batuku, Batagwenda, Banyabindi and Ba Nyamboga to put much emphasis on revitalizing culture among the youth and children so that culture can be sustainably transmitted from generation to generation since young people are the future leaders.

Juliana Akoryo (standing)

“Focus on the youth and schools so that culture is transmitted from generation to generation and it’s better to tap on the mostly used media by the youth especially social media like facebook, twitter and whatsapp so that young people can effectively be enlisted in the revitalization of their culture especially the Empaako Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)”Said Akoryo while speaking at the Empaako Project Management Committee (PMC) meeting at Garden’s Restaurant – Fort Portal on Wednesday, 23^rd May 2015.

Akoryo adds, “theEmpaako naming system is threatened with extinction especially from abandoning performance of cultural rituals like the Empaako naming, weakening cultural institutions like clans and family, declining Runyoro – Rutooro language, modernization and the emerging religious cults which criminalize the Empaakopractice.”

However, Akoryo cautioned members of the Empaako communities not to force communities which don’t susbscribe to Empaako to practice the Empaako naming ritual since Empaako is a cultural element and allegiance to culture is voluntary according to the Uganda constitution and other international human rights instruments like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The meeting which was attended by over twenty (20) people including the seventeen (17) member PMC from the Empaako communities, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM), community coordinators and representatives from the district local governments of Kabarole, Hoima, Kamwenge and Ntoroko.

Participants who attended the PMC meeting taking a group photo

The PMC was also attended by representatives from Tooro Kingdom, Bunyoro Kingdom, Batagwenda Elders Forum, Batuku elder’s forum, representatives from the Banyabindi Development Trust and cultural practitioners and staff from Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action).

The meeting which was aimed at strengthening the stakeholders in the Empaako communities to enhance the observance of the Empaako naming rituals, strengthening the mechanisms of the community’s self-help mechanisms in safeguarding their own Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the modern context and finally improving on the Empaako communities capacity to safeguard ICH in modern context.

The head of the Empaako Heritage Foundation Msgr. Peter Kumaraki Araali who also doubles as the Board Chairperson of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) which is accredited to provide advisory services to UNESCO (ICH Convention) while speaking at the meeting appealed to the people in the Empaako communities to contribute 20 percent since UNESCO is only contributing 80 percent for the revitalization and safeguarding of Empaako to enable people to sustainably safeguard and revitalize their culture especially the Empaako naming system for generations.

The program Officer of UNATCOM Mr. Darniel Kaweesi while speaking at the meeting appealed to people from the Empaako communities to keep scanning the environment and look for other Intangible cultural elements threatened with extinction so that they can be safeguarded before it’s too late. Mr. Kaweesi also appealed to the PMC members to come up with a manual targeting the safeguarding of Empaako in the district local governments of the Empaako communities so that Empaako safeguarding is embedded within the district local government workplans and budgets.

The Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action), Stephen Rwagweri Atwoki who emphasized that the PMC should work hard to ensure the project is effectively and efficiently implemented since the UNESCO co-funded Empaako safeguarding project which started in February 2018 and will only take 21 months.

Rwagweri Atwoki further cautioned PMC to avoid ‘killing’ this project especially now in its early stages by emphasizing that the project will be fully supported with funds from UNESCO, “if you want to kill Empaako, give them (people from Empaako communities) a belief that they will be assisted from outside (UNESCO)” Said Rwagweri Atwoki while speaking at the PMC meeting.

Stephen Rwagweri (in green suit) giving a media interview about the PMC meeting

Rwagweri Atwoki added, “the 20 percent contribution to safeguard and revitalize the Empaako ICH should be mobilized and managed locally by the different Empaako communities.”

So far, some of the key outputs of the Empaako safeguarding project are the establishment of the state of the art BIO pics documentation unit with high tech equipment at the secretariat, publication of the community based ICH documentation handbook of international standards and publication of rituals and ceremonies among Empaako communities.

In addition, other key outputs are making a video production on traditional rituals and ceremonies among Empaako communities adapted to different formats and audiences and establishment of the dissemination network involving electronic media, online media, publications agency system and spontaneous community meetings on the safeguarding and revitalization of Empaako in the Empaako communities in Western Uganda, Eastern DRC and Northern Tanzania.

While the representative from Bunyoro Empaako community appealed to the PMC to put up visible projects like naming forests with Empaako so that people from the Empaako communities can effectively and efficiently easily understand the Empaako safeguarding and revitalization of our cultures. 

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) adopted a decision to co-fund a two year project for the safeguarding of Empaako naming system during the 12^th session of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage which was held in December, 2017 at the International Convention Centre located in Jeju Island in the Republic of South Korea.

Empaako is naming system whereby in addition to a family and given name, a child is given a special name called Empaako selected from a fixed and closed list of 12 (twelve) Empaako names shared by the entire society and used as a declaration of respect, endearment or affection.

This practice has been shared and transmitted from generation to generation in Empaako communities of Batooro, Banyoro, Banyabindi, Basongora, Batuku, Batagwenda, Banyaruguru, Bagungu, Ba Nya Mboga and Baziba located in Western Uganda, Eastern DR Congo and Northern Tanzania respectively.

However, the Empaako naming practice is facing threats of extinction mostly due to decline of its mother language (Runyoro - Rutooro), modernization, abandoning our traditional rituals, weakening cultural institutions, and attack from modern religious extremist denominations.