Africa-Press – Botswana. Residents of North East District and all Bakalanga have expressed gratitude to the members of the Intergovernmental Committee for their efforts in inscribing the Wosana ritual and its associated practices.
They said the thorough review procedure and steadfast dedication, was an indication that the committee appreciaed Bakalanga culture.
Kgosi Wililani Nkhwa of Gulubane, a member of the Executive Committee of North East District Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), said accepting the inscription of the Wosana (Hosana) Ritual and its Associated Practices under UNESCO-ICH on Tuesday.
Kgosi Nkhwa said, “The district is thrilled that Wosana and its Associated Practices have been inscribed in the list of ICH in need of urgent Safeguarding as per the 2003 Convention,” he said.
Kgosi Nkhwa stated that the inscription would guarantee that Bakalanga cultural practices, traditions, and expressions would be acknowledged and safeguarded for future generations.
He said this served as a reminder of Bakalanga’s shared responsibilities to protect the living heritage that unites communities and enriches humanity, in addition to being an honour for the Wosana community.
“The trust you have placed in us is truly inspiring, and we promise to carry out this vital endeavour with integrity and dedication,” said Kgosi Nkhwa.
He further highlighted that they have started implementing activities related to the safeguarding plan to ensure the element is visible and transmitted accordingly.
Giving the background on the inscription file, Ministry of Sports and Arts District Coordinator Onthatile Takaruona said the journey started in 2017 when they embarked on research as the North East District Committee.
She said the research was to identify what the district had that its people could be recognised for concerning intangible cultural heritage.
She said the research was based on 143 elements, and the district ICH Committee, in collaboration with the community, agreed to start by protecting the Wosana Ritual and its Associated Practices.
“The race of activities started in February 2022 with ku luma (to bite), followed by ku zhulila matumba (to commence playing of drums), which was held at Ramokgwebana, in September, ku dusa mbhewu ( open distribution of seeds) was conducted at Mapoka.” We took time being patient while waiting for the instruction to perform these activities and was able to finalise the file and submitted it to UNESCO on the March 31 last year for possible inscription,” she said.
Takaruona said the inscription occurred in Paraguay where Wosana Ritual and its Associated Practices were approved and inscribed.
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