The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting held from December 2-6 in Asunción, (Paraguay), inscribed two new elements on the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Safeguarding. There were also 63 new cultural elements on the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the initiative of 90 countries. According to information on the UNESCO website, the decision to inscribe Wosana to the UNESCO cultural elements in need of urgent safeguarding came about following rigorous debates.
“At the end of the debates, the 24 Member States of the Committee decided to inscribe 63 new cultural elements, including two elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, being Wosana and Reog Ponorogo Performing Art from Indonesia,” reads the information on the UNESCO website. The Wosana ritual is observed by the Bakalanga communities in the Northeast and the Central Districts of Botswana and in certain Zimbabwean villages along the Botswana border. The ancestral practice is characterised by rituals, prayer, feasts, songs and dance. It could also be described as a collaborative practice involving traditional leadership, distinct roles, and the participation of the entire community. The related knowledge and skills are transmitted through observation, regular practice, and mentoring, with new practitioners being sworn to secrecy regarding the sacred aspects of the practice. It is said that with the advent of Christianity, the observance of the ritual has decreased over time. Many traditional leaders have converted to Christianity and no longer recognise ancestral worship.
