The Ekpe Masquerade © UNESCO

Thirty-four participants representing officials from the Ministry of Information and Culture, local officials working in the field of culture and the Calabar community have been brought together to share the principles and methodologies of community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage during a workshop which took place in Nigeria from 10 to 14 October 2016.

The workshop, conducted by an international facilitator from the UNESCO’s global network of facilitators and by a national facilitator, focused on the inventorying process of Ekpe (Mgbe) and Uyoro oral traditions. The multicoloured Ekpe masquerade is a highly-regarded cultural practice in the Efik society. It represents more than a tourist spectacle, it is an embodiment of the social-cultural values and indigenous spirit of the Efik people in Calabar, Cross River State.

Organized by the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional office in Abuja in cooperation with the Culture and National Orientation of the Federal Ministry of Tourism, the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, the local communities of Niger as well as Oyo and Cross River States, this workshop was part of the capacity-building project to support the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nigeria. The project was made possible thanks to the Funds in Trust contribution of Japan.