“More emphasis should be put on identifying Empaako naming rituals,” Empaako community members

Empaako community members have today 20^th August, 2018 resolved to put more emphasis on going back to their communities and identifying the Empaako naming rituals especially at family levels so that it can be properly documented for it to be safeguarded from extinction.

Stephen Rwagweri (standing) speaking at the workshop

“However, the performance of the Empaako naming rituals at family level must be spontaneous and naturally performed and not acted,” advised Stephen Rwagweri  Atwoki the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action).

Empaako Training of trainers workshop participants also appealed to all stakeholders involved in safeguarding the extinction of Empaako intangible cultural heritage to amplify community sensitization and training on Empaako safeguarding and revitalization.

Participants also resolved to increase the use of social media like whatsapp, facebook and twitter which are popular with young people in creating awareness on Empaako safeguarding so that young people can be effectively reached by the messages.

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. 

Some of the workshop participants

The workshop which started at 10am to 5pm also involved the official launch of the ICH Documentation unit at Engabu Za Tooro main offices which was officially launched by the Chairperson of the Empaako safeguarding committee Msgr. Peter Kumaraki Araali and the Senior Culture Officer at the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social development Hajat Nalubega Hajarah who appealed to community members to use the documentation unit equipments in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage threatened with extinction through documentation like Empaako naming rituals.

The 10 day residential training starting on 19^th to 28^th August, 2018 at Fort Breeze Hotel, Fort Portal. The training dubbed, “community-self documentation and revitalization of ceremonies and practices association with Empaako naming system in Uganda” targets training of trainer’s to develop a team of community based trainers in documentation of intangible cultural heritage who will in turn train practitioners of ICH to document their own practices.

 The training dubbed, “community-self documentation and revitalization of ceremonies and practices association with Empaako naming system in Uganda” targets training of trainer’s to develop a team of community based trainers in documentation of intangible cultural heritage who will in turn train practitioners of ICH to document their own practices.

Empaako Jumper 

The training which has attracted 27 participants  who include community coordinators, cultural officers, community development officers, elders, performing artists, media practitioners, photographers, videographers and publishers will generate and share knowledge and information that strengthens the draft practical guide to community self-documentation of ICH, produce a certified team of community-based trainers who will facilitate capacity building workshops under UGA-01210 project and the subsequent ICH initiatives in five communities and the country at large.

In addition, the training will produce a certified team of technical people who will form the crew that will be adopted to operate the biopics high tech equipment in documentation exercise under the current project and beyond and finally a published workshop report will be produced to act as a future reference material in building competences in documentation of ICH.