Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) on Monday, 19 January 2026, launched a five-day training workshop for community representatives from 30 communities in the Central River Region (CRR) to promote the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) through community-based inventorying.
The workshop, held in Janjangbureh from 19–20 January and in Wassu from 21–23 January, is part of a UNESCO-funded project titled Building Institutional and Local Human Capacities for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of NCAC, presided over the opening session.
The project aims to document 90 elements of ICH from the 30 communities over two years, using audio and video formats. Trained community representatives will collaborate with NCAC field teams to inventory cultural expressions, including rituals, social practices, festive events, performances, traditional craftsmanship, and indigenous knowledge related to healing. The goal is to ensure their preservation and transmission.
Selected by their communities, the representatives are expected to accurately identify and describe cultural elements in line with local perspectives and values.
Speaking at the workshop, Sanna B. Jarju, Director of Literature, Performing and Fine Arts at NCAC and Project Focal Person, said the CRR fieldwork will serve as a pilot phase to be replicated in other regions of the country.
He highlighted earlier project activities, including a Training of Trainers facilitated by UNESCO-designated international expert Dr. Gankhanani Moyo of Zambia, and awareness workshops for local government authorities such as ward councillors.
Jarju added that the project conducted advocacy visits to participating communities to obtain prior, informed consent, alongside radio sensitization programmes broadcast on GRTS and Bansang Community Radio.
The Project Focal Person expressed gratitude to the UNESCO 2003 Convention Secretariat, the UNESCO Dakar Office, the National Commission for UNESCO in Banjul, and the network of ICH facilitators for their technical guidance and ongoing collaboration in advancing the safeguarding of The Gambia’s living cultural heritage.
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