COAST REGION: STAKEHOLDERS within the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) have called upon practitioners within the sector to set terms and conditions before they perform to enable them to earn a meaningful income.
The latter have also been called to embrace digital marketing and new technologies to market their work to enable them perform inside and outside the country.
The call to that end was made in Bagamoyo on Wednesday during a youth dialogue to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding cultural heritage in an era of globalisation.
Speaking recently during the session, Tanzania Media for Community Development (TAMCODE) Executive Director Rose Ngunangwa shared an experience of Mama Chanje traditional dance in Sumbawanga which has existed since 1965 but was yet to earn a dividend from its work.
During the encounter, Mama Chanje traditional group chairperson complained over customers telling them to travel all the way to Dodoma to perform where they were given food, transport and shelter only to earn a meagre 100,000/- among its almost 20 members, an amount she said was too meagre to support them.
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“I call upon ICH practitioners to never simply join the bandwagon without contractual agreements over remunerations as there is more to life than site seeing. You need to make sure that you come back with something as sightseeing will never ferry bread to your table,” retorted Ngunangwa.
She said if well utilised, ICH can act as an opportunity, employment, income and livelihood.
For her part, Hadija Shabani who is head of all Nyakangas in Bagamoyo District shared her experience over how clients paid the three of them 50,000 for the services, adding that the amount has seen them fail to emancipate themselves from poverty.
“This dialogue is an eye opener and we will utilise the knowledge to create a meaningful income,” said Nyakanga, popularly known as a living library due to her expertise.
For his part, a prominent traditional dance expert in Mdundiko, Madogoli and Vanga in Bagamoyo District, Mpazi Kazi said despite his notable work, he has only earned fame which however does not reflect his income.
“TAMCODE has really inspired and given me hope. I will now start to negotiate for terms and conditions on remunerations before performance,” said Pazi.
The call comes in the wake of complaints by some of the traditional dance groups over some clients using them to perform in various events and giving them food and traditional brew as payment and at times, a meagre pay.
Organised by the government and UNESCO, the dialogue brought together traditional leaders and prominent people, Nyakangas, traditional dances, cultural officers, commissioners of culture from mainland and Zanzibar, students from the Bagamoyo School of Arts and Culture, lecturers as well as CSOs whose work is to promote the ICH sector.
According to the UNESCO Conventions of 2003, Intangible Cultural Heritage includes practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills that communities, groups and, occasionally, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage.
