MAPUTO, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Mapiko, a traditional dance practiced by the Makonde people in northern Mozambique, has been declared an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
According to a statement from Mozambique's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the nomination was made Tuesday at the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, an event that is happening from Dec. 4 to 9, in Kasane, a town in Botswana.
"We hope that this recognition will reinforce social and territorial cohesion between the different peoples that make up the ethnic mosaic of Cabo Delgado if not Mozambique and the world," said the Minister of Culture and Tourism Eldevina Materula, who was present at the event, in a statement.
Mozambique submitted Mapiko dance's candidacy to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in March 2022, to urgently mitigate the risk of extinction, due to terrorist attacks affecting the province of Cabo Delgado, and environmental risks including cyclones. Another intention is to sensitize young people about the importance of Makonde identity, read the statement released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
"The principle that guided this candidacy is authenticity, inclusion and peculiar historical, aesthetic and artistic relevance for humanity," the minister was quoted as saying.
Mapiko, or Ingoma ya Mapiko, as used by the community that practises it, originally takes place on the Makonde plateau comprising the districts of Muenda, Nangade and Muidumbe, in the province of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique.
The mapiko dance is a celebratory dance practiced by the Makonde people of Mozambique. A part of the traditional rite of passage from puberty to adulthood, the dance is performed in an enclosure, usually under mango trees, with dancers, musicians and the public coming together to celebrate the initiation rite.
The dance may also be performed for the funeral of a group member or for entertainment. It is a theatrical performance involving several dancers who perform alone or as a group, wearing masks that represent animals or people. They are accompanied by drums and a choir of women and men standing opposite each other. In between the dances, the choir also dances and sings provocative songs, challenging and provoking the masked men and people from neighbouring villages. ■
