Official from Uganda National Commission for UNESCO encourages people from Empaako communities to document their heritage

Daniel Kaweesi speaking at the workshop

The program Officer of Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM) Mr. Daniel Kaweesi has encouraged people from Empaako communities to go back to their communities and document their Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) like Empaako naming system so that it can be preserved and safeguarded from extinction.

“Now that you have attained the required skills and knowledge to document and identify the different ICH like Empaako, it should begin with you to go back and document them so that they are safeguarded from extinction” Said Kaweesi while speaking at the one week capacity building workshop organized by Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) and supported by UNESCO.

The different forms of documentation are human memory, artifacts, family lineage, weaving, painting, curving, music, publications, photography, composition and performances, artistic composition, lithography and audio/video recording among others.

The one week (16^th – 21^st December, 2018) residential capacity building workshop taking place at Fort Breeze Hotel, Fort Portal has attracted 47 Empaako bearers from the Empaako communities of Banyoro, Batooro, Batagwenda, Batuku, Banyabindi and Basongora.

Stephen Rwagweri training Empaako bearers in documentation

A cultural practitioner from Tooro, Isingoma Kimome Amooti appealed to the participants of the capacity building workshop not to be selfish but share the knowledge and skills on documentation gained from the training with family members, neighbors and friends to enable sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural traditions like Empaako naming system.

The Executive Director Engabu Za Tooro, Stephen Rwagweri Atwoki encouraged people from Empaako communities to take advantage of the state of the art documentation equipment at Engabu Za Tooro to document their very own intangible cultural heritage threatened with extinction like Empaako naming ritual for it to be sustainably safeguarded.

Rwagweri adds, “our language is weakening because our traditional rituals are no longer being performed. It’s so saddening that our people have surrendered the performance of our traditional rituals to religious leaders for instance installing a heir, a ritual supposed to be performed by family and clan institutions which are weakening.”

“People have failed to make tangible community self-help contributions to safeguard their own traditional heritage threatened with extinction like traditional marriage system and Empaako naming system.” Said Rwagweri while training empaako bearers in documentation at the capacity building workshop in Fort Portal.

Omugurusi Isaaya Kalya speaking at the workshop

Omugurusi Isaaya Kalya Atwoki urged people from Empaako communities to do small things in a great way in order for them to safeguard their traditional heritage like making community self – help contributions because a thousand steps begins with a single step.

“Engabu Za Tooro has done an exceptional job in safeguarding Tooro’s weakening culture and a weakening culture is a sign of a weakening community. We should support Engabu Za Tooro to revitalize and strengthen our culture through making self – help community contributions to the Tutemu Engaro self-help cultural fund.”  Said Isaaya Kalya Atwoki while speaking at the capacity building workshop.

Group photo of the workshop participants

Currently, Engabu Za Tooro is implementing a UNESCO co-funded two year project UGA 01210 aimed at revitalizing ceremonies and practices associated with Empaako naming system in Uganda.