| Summary: |
This co-operation project, financed by the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust,
is launched in Kampala. It is implemented by the UNESCO Nairobi Office,
through a project management committee established by the Uganda National
Commission for UNESCO, in collaboration with the line Ministries and
national institutions related to culture, education and natural environment
and the Kingdom of Buganda, Uganda.
Bark cloth is produced from the inner bark of the mituba trees,
and used by the Buganda people in an important traditional practice
which was proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
With the tendency of young people to move to urban areas, reinforced
by the influence of modernization, the use of bark cloth has declined
significantly. Moreover, bark cloth-makers tend to be marginalized
and associated with low social status. Core activities of the project
include documenting the suitable types and the use of mituba trees,
training young people on bark cloth making, developing a museum
visitor programme, encouraging the use of bark cloths in craft production,
and establishing a certification process in the national vocational
education system.
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