Tag Archives: HerMaP Gambia
Intangible Cultural Heritage Register Launched
The Gambia’s National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) proudly launched The Gambia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Register on December 16th, a project realized under the auspices of the country’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture.
The Register documents elements of The Gambia’s intangible cultural heritage (ICT) selected during the Pilot Innvetory Project on the contribution of ICH to sustainable development in the country, along with the role of this heritage in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) as established by the field findings of research conducted in 2021. Both activities were funded by UNESCO.
“This Register is a great step forward in our desire to conserve, preserve and interpret
Gambian culture,” said Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of the NCAC. “The Register lists 30 elements of our ICH including the domain, description, bearer Community and pictures and videos to illustrate the element.”
Ceesay added that following the pilot inventory, the NCAC has received extra funding to widen the inventory exercise to all Regions of The Gambia.
HERIΤΛGE will be hosting the inventory on its digital infrastructure and working to enrich and disseminate the information in the framework of its HerMaP Gambia program, an initiative co-funded by the European Union to upskill and strengthen the country’s heritage and tourism sectors.
The Gambia: Community Tourism Planning & Development
From the 11th to 15th November 17 heritage professionals joined HERITAGE’s Community Tourism Planning & Development workshop that was organized in the framework of HerMaP Gambia, an initiative co-funded by the European Union that aims to enrich the understanding and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage while enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in the cultural and tourism sectors.
Tim Healing led the online course which was aimed at helping heritage professionals build the knowledge and skills necessary to develop sustainable community tourism projects. Through these projects, key stakeholders from the Gambia Tourist Board, Institute for Travel and Tourism of The Gambia, Juffureh Heritage Village Museum, Senegambia Stone Circle Tour Guide Association, JJB Kankurang Festival Committee as well as Independent participants, were encouraged to also address issues such as how to promote cultural preservation, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability.
Participants worked on case studies from projects including Lamu in Kenya, Raqchi in Peru, Tourism Development in the Mursi Community of Ethiopia, The Green Valley Community Tourism Project, Managing Tourist Impact on the Cultural Events of the Maasai Mara Community, The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, and the Community-Based Tourism Initiative in Vietnam.
By focusing on community resource mobilisation, partnership building, financial literacy, and effective branding, the workshop aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to create authentic tourism experiences that support local development while increasing awareness of cultural heritage management . Participation with the workshop was lively with attendees demonstrating significant interest in the subject. Despite being online, the workshop was also highly interactive, combining discussions, presentations, and group exercises which fostered an engaging learning environment. The collaborative activities encouraged the sharing of ideas and best practices, ensuring the content resonated with participants and was applicable to their local contexts.
“The workshop benefited greatly from the participants’ hands-on experience in community tourism, which added depth to the discussions and activities. Their practical knowledge allowed for a more insightful and relevant exchange of ideas, making the sessions both engaging and meaningful. I’m eager to see how they apply the strategies and concepts learned to further develop tourism projects,” said Mina Morou – HerMaP Gambia Project Manager.
*Tim Healing is our interim director of African Grants and capacity development officer, helping small heritage organizations in Africa develop an application and ensure they manage their grant efficiently. Tim has over thirty years’ experience working as a project manager and has a professional background in project management, community and NGO development.
A Street Art Workshop in The Gambia
Mural by Leonidas Giannakopoulos, created for the NCAC premises in Banjul, in the framework of HerMaP Gambia, an initiative co-funded by the EU.
From 23rd October to 1st November, HERITΛGE held a Street Art Workshop in the Gambia. Street art serves as a vibrant and dynamic medium to bring history, culture, and identity to life and the workshop aimed to emphasize the power of creative expression in preserving and showcasing cultural heritage. The workshop was led by Leonidas Giannakopoulos*, a Greek artist whose murals adorn a number of central buildings in Greece and beyond. Giannakopoulos also created a mural for the premises of The Gambia’s National Centre for the Arts and Culture (NCAC) during the workshop.
The training is part of HerMaPp Gambia, an initiative co-funded by the EU that aims to enrich the understanding and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage while enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in the cultural sector. HERITΛGE has been working with the street artists of Galloya, a creative team of young locals that has also put together a local festival, for the past two years in the framework of HerMaP Gambia.
Nine participants from around The Gambia joined the ten-day workshop where they delved into the history, significance, and key movements of graffiti and street art. Through this initiative, the program highlighted the importance of art as both a cultural tool and a means of celebrating and preserving heritage in a living, evolving form.
The workshop explored how cultural heritage can be commemorated through artistic representation, ensuring that elements of heritage resonate with the present generation. They also focused on practicing essential techniques like stencilling and design principles. On the third day, they focused on personal production, allowing each participant to create their own unique artwork.
“I really enjoyed the big thirst for knowledge all our participants had and I hope everything I showed them and taught them was inspiring. I believe they will use all this knowledge because I saw a big thirst for artistic expression. In their next works I believe they will apply all the things that they learned and they will keep on learning!” said trainer Leonidas Giannakopoulos.
Participants were enthusiastic and fully engaged, producing creative and thought-provoking street art reflecting local culture. “The knowledge and skills we gained during this experience have been truly invaluable” said Amadou Mousa, a street artist from Galloya and one of the founders of the local festival. “Leonidas’ guidance has not only enhanced our artistic abilities but also inspired us to explore new ways of expressing creativity within our community,” he added.
Following this intensive workshop, an additional five days were devoted to the creation of a public artwork at the NCAC premises. During this time, participants observed advanced techniques and engaged closely with the detailed process of producing impactful public art. They gained hands-on experience in conceptualization, production, and project management, enhancing their appreciation for the commitment and precision behind large-scale street art projects.
“I wanted to create an artwork that refers to the people here in The Gambia, to the country’s young people that bring the future,” said Giannakopoulos. “So I wanted to paint the portrait of a young child from the area of Banjul and express the culture of this country by painting him with a mask of a hyena over a landscape of baobab trees, a very powerful tree that gives so many things to the people, it is not only about food or drink but is also spiritual.”
*Leonidas Giannakopoulos studied painting and printmaking at the School of Ffine Arts of Athens, and has since been commissioned to paint several murals for municipalities, festivals, public buildings and private companies around the world.
**Photos by Leonidas Giannakopoulos, Nefeli Papanagiotou, and the HerMaP Gambia team and beneficiaries in The Gambia
Festival Management Training in The Gambia
Courtesy of Kangurang Festival
Over 16th and 17th of October, 27 participants from 10 institutions across Gambia joined us for the Festival Management and Operations Training. The two-day course aimed at enhancing participants’ understanding of essential concepts and practices to create impactful, well-organized, and environmentally conscious festivals that engage and benefit their communities.
It was led by Hanine-K Lakkis, a cultural specialist, events director, and trainer, and Mina Morou, The Gambia Programmes Manager for HERITΛGE.
The training is part of HerMap Gambia, an initiative co-funded by the EU that aims to enrich the understanding and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage while enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in the cultural sector. It was developed in direct response to requests from five distinct festival organizing groups seeking our expertise to enhance their event planning and management skills. Recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities within festival management, HERITΛGE designed this program to equip participants with essential skills in festival planning, marketing, operations, safety, and sustainability.
By addressing these core areas, HERITΛGE aims to strengthen the capacity of local actors to create impactful, well-organized, and environmentally conscious festivals that engage and benefit their communities. This tailored approach ensures that participants can meet both their organizational goals and the growing expectations of their audiences.
On the first day, participants from Kankurang, Wassu Stone Circles, Niumi Fort Bullen, Roots, Galloya Street Art Festivals as well as Kubuneh and Galloya Cultural Festivals and National Centre for the Arts and Culture (NCAC), Gambia Tourist Board, the Gambia Youth Chamber of Commerce and independent organizers were instructed in the fundamentals of festivals, including their types, purposes, and impacts, along with detailed guidance on planning aspects such as venue selection, programming, and marketing strategies. On the second, they went over operational considerations, such as risk and crowd management, and sustainable practices to minimize environmental impact.
“I want, on behalf of the National Centre for Arts and Culture, to express our sincere appreciation to the Heritage Management Organization and all the Facilitators for offering this valuable training opportunity to our festival organizers,” said Sanna B. Jarju, Head of the Department for Literature, Performing and Fine Arts of the NCAC.
“The training is done at a time when there are a large number of emerging community-based festivals, most of whom strive for sustainability…Festivals are an important way to safeguard our cultural heritage and enable the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in The Gambia,” he added.
HERITΛGE in the News
Our teams are working around the world to fulfill the HERITΛGE mission. Here is how some of our work has been featured in the press in the last few months.
Heritage Threatened by Conflict
HERITΛGE has launched a new project to safeguard Ukraine’s cultural heritage. Architectural Heritage Preservation in Times of War: The Ukrainian Model is being realized in cooperation with the Kharkiv School of Architecture and Skeiron, with generous support from the U.S. Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section in Ukraine. The project has been featured in the latest issue of Popular Archaeology as well as in Ukrainian media.
HerMaP Gambia
The Gambia’s National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Tourism recently embarked on a Parliamentary Study Tour in Thessaloniki. This visit, conducted as part of the HerMaP Gambia program co-funded by the European Union, was widely covered in the Gambian media, including prominent news programs and The Voice newspaper.
Watch the QTV bulletin (start at 14:18) or read the article in The Voice.
HERITΛGE also delivered workshops in The Gambia on various aspects of cultural management, including Festival Management, which was covered by The Voice.
African Heritage Grants
HERITΛGE’s small grants for African heritage initiative, supported by the Mellon Foundation, recently funded Restoring Ilukwe House, a project by the NGO Legacy to restore a historic building in Lagos’ railway compound. Coverage of this initiative appeared in Nigeria’s The Guardian.
The Republic, a Nigeria-based magazine and platform of socio-economic and political commentary, criticism and cultural discourse, has received a substantial grant from the Mellon Foundation to support its mission to establish itself as a regional, leading hub/platform for Black and Africa-focused ideas and critical perspectives; and to further connect Africa and the African diaspora on critical issues, with the help of HERITΛGE.
Greek Living Heritage Network
As a founding member of the Living Heritage Network in Greece, HERITΛGE continues to support and celebrate Greece’s living heritage. Theodosia Maroutsi recently discussed the Network on NaMaste, a cultural program on Greece’s national broadcaster ERA2.
Greek speakers can listen to the show here.
Gambian Parliamentary Study Tour with HERITΛGE
In the framework of the EU-funded programme HerMap Gambia, HERITΛGE was honoured to host the Select Committee on Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports of the National Assembly of the Gambia during a study tour to Greece that took place on 29th July – 4th August. The delegation was headed by the Honourable Seedy SK Njie, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia and also included officials from the Gambia Tourist Board.
The purpose of the tour for the Honourable Members of the Parliament was to be guided through the Greek cultural and natural landscape and be presented with good practices and policies that helped the country develop its tourism and cultural industries, based on its heritage. Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, hosting over 30 million tourists each year. Its cultural and natural heritage has always been an important component of its cultural and tourist industries and has become even more so in the last three decades with the country diversifying away from the sea-and-sun model to address the challenges posed by climate change, overtourism, and calls for sustainable development.
“The visit to Greece was a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance The Gambia’s tourism and heritage sectors,” the Committee said in a statement. “We are committed to leveraging the insights and connections made during this study tour to forge a successful bilateral cooperation with Greece. This collaboration will pave the way for comprehensive development, ensuring that The Gambia’s heritage sites and natural assets are preserved and promoted for future generations.”
HERITΛGE Director Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis said: “At HERITΛGE we are particularly proud to have been able to collaborate with the Select Committee on Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports of the National Assembly of the Gambia for this impactful tour that included training and benchmarking in the fields of heritage and heritage-based tourism. The study tour is one of the actions delivered by the EU-funded HerMaP Gambia program and has strengthened our cooperation with the Honourable Members with the aim of advancing the heritage and tourism sectors in The Gambia.”
During its week-long stay, the delegation realized a number of benchmarking visits to important heritage sites including the Museum of the Royal Tombs Aigai, the Polycentric Museum of Aigai, the White Tower, the Rotunda Monument, the Heptapyrgion fortress, and the Allied Military Cemetery and Memorial in Thessaloniki, the Metohi of the Agios Panteleimonas Monastery in Flogita with its newly created Centre of Byzantine Civilization and Exhibition on the Greek Revolution in Halkidiki, and the site of the Ancient City of Olynthos.
Cultural professional and Managing Director of SYMVOLI Conference & Cultural Management, Vicky Papadimitriou, introduced the delegation to the structure of the Greek cultural and tourism industries, giving an overview of the successes and challenges they have faced in the past century. The former Deputy Mayor of Thessaloniki, Spyros Pegkas, addressed the Delegation and presented how the City’s strategy to attract visitors and grow its economy was created around its multi-cultural past and rich cultural heritage in the early 2010’s. Dr. Prodromos Monastiridis, President of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau presented the city’s strategy to attract visitors in a professional capacity. Sylvia Koumedaki, Co-founder and General Manager of Chef Stories, a marketing and consulting agency focusing on traditional gastronomy and tourism, gave the honourable members an overview of how food and agricultural heritage served as building blocks not just of community identity and preservation efforts, but also of efforts to attract visitors to the regions of Thessaloniki and Halkidiki and grow exports.
Archaeologist and museologist Yiannis Karliabas of the Thessaloniki Ephorate of Antiquities, talked to the delegation about history and oral history narratives and the opportunities and challenges faced by the team of heritage professionals working with Heptapyrgion, a monument with a long and often complicated history. Following the benchmarking visits the delegation had the opportunity to discuss with Archaeologists and Tour Guide Konstantinos Papastathis from the Ministry of Culture, Archaeologist and Tour Guide Tasos Papadopoulos, and Archaeologist, Museologist, and Tour Guide Georgios Adamidis. The delegation also held a discussion and explored wider opportunities for cooperation with Perrotis College and American Farm School President, Dr. Jeff Lansdale following a tour of their extensive facilities.
Finally, the delegation had the opportunity to attend a Heritage Management workshop delivered by Dr. Anastasia Sakellariadi.