Botswana will host the 18th Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2023 after bidding to become the host during the just ended 17th session in Morocco. The week-long IGC session is slated to take place from December 4-9, 2023.

The IGC is an embodiment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) that looks at safeguarding the intangible culture. It aims at achieving this by promoting the objectives of the convention, providing guidance on best practices and making recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. IGC currently boasts 180 participating members.

Botswana recently attended the 17th session of the IGC held at Rabat, Morocco, where it expressed the bid to host the18th session.

The Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare revealed that they showed interest of hosting the 18th session upon being granted permission by Cabinet.

“We requested for permission to host the IGC next year from the Cabinet and it was granted by Cabinet in September 2022. And we went on to bid to host the IGC and our bid was successful,” Rakgare said. Rakgare said research has unearthed three elements that needed protection by the UNESCO and these are some of the things that the IGC 18th session will be mostly looking at.

“We carried out a research in our country, like in Kgatleng District in 2010, Chobe in 2012, North East in 2013 and also Gantsi District in 2014”. Now, following the inventory exercise, we successfully inscribed three elements for protection under UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding List

(USL). And these are Earthenware Pottery Making Skills of Bakgatla Ba Kgafela in 2012, Dikopelo folk music for Bakgatla Ba Kgafela 2017, and the Seperu folk dance, and associated practices in 2019,” Rakgare added.

Though the three elements seem to be focusing mostly on Bakgatla and Seperu dance, Rakgare said the ministry will engage internally to choose something that caters for all Batswana in their diversity, something that even the neighbouring countries can relate with.

Rakgare stated that hosting the session will come as a huge boost to culture that is seemingly becoming extinct in the country and boost the economy of the country,

“This session will further give impetus to diversify arts and culture in the country and the tourism and hospitality industry will also be one of the things that will benefit from the IGC as the delegates will be using the hotels in the country to reside in them, and some will maybe take the opportunity to tour the country as it will be their first time here,” he said.

At the session there will be provision for local art and crafts to be exhibited while local performing artists will also get to showcase their craft on the sidelines of the conference.