Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Ecole de la Ravanne of Grand Gaube resumed its activities, today, with the launching of free courses on Sega Tipik for children of the region, in the presence of the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr. Avinash Teeluck, and the Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture Trust Fund Board, Mr Jean-François Chaumière.
The traditional Mauritian Sega Tipik, a musical and dance expression, was inscribed in 2014 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.
According to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the inscription of Mauritian Sega on the Representative List could enhance visibility of the intangible cultural heritage and promote inter-cultural dialogue among the multi-ethnic population of Mauritius, as well as other communities internationally by highlighting a tradition created out of the adversity of slavery.
In his address, Minister Teeluck lauded the children for their talent and commended the organisers for this initiative which, he said, contribute to promote Mauritian Sega Tipik and thus meet the requirements of being on the Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
He also thanked the teachers and parents for enabling this cultural and intergenerational transmission. According to Mr Teeluck, a meeting will be held soon with stakeholders to formulate a plan with a view to better supporting the Ecole de la Ravanne and ensuring its continuity.
He moreover spoke of the necessity to extend this type of activity across the country. For his part, Mr Chaumière highlighted the importance of engaging children in appropriate leisure activities and offering them a hobby during their idle times, rather than leaving them to indulge in occupations that may prove dangerous.
He reiterated the assistance of the Trust Fund to the project in terms of musical instruments as well as opportunities to perform in cultural events at the national level.
The Ecole de la Ravanne of Grand-Gaube was set up three years ago and is a joint endeavour of the non-governmental organisation, Caritas Ile Maurice, and the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture Trust Fund. It provides both practical and theoretical music lessons to children.
The free courses are in line with the safeguarding efforts of the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage to raise awareness on the importance of intangible cultural heritage at the local and national level by encouraging the practice and transmission of the Sega Tipik.
