The training, held in Janjangbureh from 19–20 January and Wassu from 21–23 January 2026, forms part of a UNESCO-funded International Assistance Project titled - Building Institutional and Local Human Capacities for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The workshop was presided over by Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of the National Centre for Arts and Culture.
The project seeks to document, in audio and video formats, 90 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements from 30 communities across the Central River Region over two years. The trained community representatives will work closely with NCAC field teams to inventory cultural expressions including rituals, social practices, festive events, performances, traditional craftsmanship, and indigenous knowledge related to healing, to ensure their preservation and transmission.
The representatives were selected by their respective communities and are expected to play a key role in accurately identifying and describing the cultural elements, in line with community perspectives and values.
Speaking at the workshop, Sanna B. Jarju, Director of Literature, Performing and Fine Arts at NCAC and Project Focal Person, explained that the Central River Region fieldwork will serve as a pilot phase, which will later be replicated in other parts of the country.
He highlighted earlier project activities, including a Training of Trainers facilitated by a UNESCO-designated international expert, Dr. Gankhanani Moyo of Zambia, followed by awareness-raising workshops for local government authorities such as ward councillors.
Jarju further noted that the project also carried out advocacy visits to all participating communities to obtain prior, sustained, and informed consent, alongside radio sensitisation programmes aired on GRTS and Bansang Community Radio.
The Project Focal Person commended the UNESCO 2003 Convention Secretariat and the UNESCO Dakar Office for their technical guidance and support. He also expressed appreciation to the National Commission for UNESCO in Banjul and the network of ICH facilitators for their continued collaboration in advancing the safeguarding of The Gambia’s living cultural heritage.
