This article lists the practices listed in UNESCO intangible cultural heritage to Nigeria.
Understand
The country has five practices listed on the "representative list of intangible cultural heritage From UNESCO.
No additional practice is included in the "register of best practices for safeguarding culture "Or on the"emergency backup list ».
Lists
Representative list
| Convenient | Year | Domain | Description | Drawing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ifa divination system | 2008 | * Social practices, rituals and festive events * Know-how related to traditional craftsmanship | The Ifa divination system, which draws on a vast body of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced by Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora of Americas and Caribbean. The word Ifa designates the mystical figure of Ifa or Orunmila, considered by the Yoruba to be the deity of wisdom and intellectual development. Unlike other forms of divination in the region which employ mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person's oracular powers. It is based on a system of signs interpreted by a diviner, the priest Ifa or babalawo, literally "the father of the priest". The Ifa divination system is used whenever an important decision, individual or collective, needs to be made. The Ifa literary corpus, called odu, consists of 256 volumes divided into verses called ese, the exact number of which is not known because it is continually increasing (there are about 800 ese per odu). Each of the 256 odu has its own divination signature, determined by the babalawo using sacred palms and a chain of divination. The ese, considered the most important part of Ifa divination, are sung by priests in a poetic language. They are the expression of Yoruba history, their language, beliefs, cosmovision and contemporary social concerns. Knowledge of Ifa has been preserved in Yoruba communities and passed on among Ifa priests. |  |
| Gèlèdé oral heritage | 2008 | * Oral traditions and expressions * Social practices, rituals and festive events | Gelèdé is practiced by the Yoruba-nago community established in Benign, to Nigeria and at Togo. For more than a century, this ceremony has aimed to pay homage to the primordial mother, Iyà Nlà, and the role women play in the social organization and development of Yoruba society. The Gèlèdé takes place every year after the harvest, during important events and in the event of drought or epidemic. It is characterized by its sculpted masks, dances and songs in the Yoruba language conveying the history and myths of the Yoruba-nago people. The ceremony usually takes place at night in a public square, near a house where the dancers are preparing. The singers and a drummer appear first. They are accompanied by an orchestra and followed by masked dancers, dressed in magnificent costumes. The preliminary craftsmanship work is considerable, especially in sculpting the masks and making the costumes. The ceremony ensures the transmission of an oral heritage mixing epic and lyrical poetry, using irony, mockery of satirical masks. Animal figures are often used, such as the snake, a symbol of power, or the bird, the messenger of "mothers". The community is organized into groups of men and women, headed by a leader and a leader, respectively. It is the only known mask company to be also run by women. Although Gèlèdé has adapted to today's more patriarchal society, its oral heritage and dances bear witness to the old matriarchal order. Technical development is at the origin of the gradual disappearance of traditional know-how, just as tourism contributes to making this ceremony a folk product. However, the Gèlèdé community is acutely aware of the value of its intangible heritage, as evidenced by the intense preparatory work and the influx of new participants. |  |
| The Ijele mask | 2009 | * Performing Arts * social practices * rituals and festive events * knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe. | In many communities across the state ofAnambra, in southeastern Nigeria, celebrations, funeral ceremonies and other special occasions during the dry season to attract fertility and good harvests include the Ijele mask. This mask, about four meters high, is so large that it takes six months for a hundred men to prepare the costume and build a shelter where it will be kept until it is released in public. Divided into two parts (upper and lower) at its center by a large python, the Ijele is made from bamboo stems assembled together to build a skeleton which is then covered with brightly colored fabric and adorned with figurines and representations. of all aspects of life. Very imposing, the masked figure dances at the end of a series of parades of which he constitutes the apotheosis, protected by six "police officers"; he wears a mirror which gives him the power to attract and punish wrongdoers. Those who wear the Ijele are chosen by vote and locked up for three months during which they are put on a special diet to gain the strength to wear the mask. The mask plays several important roles in the community: spiritually, it marks festive and solemn occasions; politically, it is an opportunity to reaffirm loyalty to a chief or a king; and culturally, it is a popular entertainment, in which young boys and girls sing and dance to the sounds of Akunechenyi music. |  |
| 1 Argungu International Culture and Fishing Festival | 2016 | * knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe * know-how related to traditional craftsmanship * oral traditions and expressions | Every year, communities come together in Northwest Nigeria to participate in the International Culture and Fisheries Festival ofArgungu near the Matan Fada river. The four-day festival, held between late February and March, includes kabanci, a series of aquatic competitions that include hand-to-hand fishing, canoe racing, wild duck capture, and other traditional practices such as local forms of wrestling and boxing. The men and boys of the community participate in the competitions while the women cheer them on, sing and dance. Prior to the independence of Nigeria, the International Festival of Culture and Fishing of Argungu contributes to the sense of identity of the participants and helps maintain peace between the community of Argungu and the neighboring community of Sokoto, through sharing. cultural practices. The knowledge transmitted within families playing a role of traditional chiefdom by the SarkiRuwa (responsible for the management of the sanitary state of the river) and the Homa (chief of the fishermen of Argungu) on the quality of the water and the fishery resources have largely contributed to the continuity of the festival. The skills used for the activities of the Festival are transmitted to the younger generations in a formal and informal way. Education is provided, for example, as part of learning, particularly for particular fishing techniques, or within families through observation. |  |
| The kwagh-hir, theatrical performance | 2019 | Kwagh-hir theatrical performance is a composite art form that encompasses a spectacle that is both visually captivating and culturally uplifting. Kwagh-hir has its origins in the tradition of tales of the Tiv people, "kwagh-alom", a practice in which creative storytellers invited families to listen to stories, usually at nightfall after the night. working day on the farm. Over time creative storytellers began to stage these stories, a practice that gave rise to the present form and state of kwagh-hir. It is a social spectacle that can entertain and teach moral lessons by staging and interpreting current and past social realities. As a form of "total theater", kwagh-hir integrates the art of puppetry, masquerade, poetry, music, dance and animated storytelling in expressing the reality of the Tiv people. Daily struggles, aspirations, successes and failures are expressed in a creative staging. The kwagh-hir theater is owned by the community; knowledge and skills are transmitted through learning. People who show an interest in the activities of the troop are trained and mentored until they acquire a certain level of mastery; they are then accepted into the troop. Performances are carried out on a regular basis to ensure that art continues to live on and that the younger generation can continue to identify with it. |  |
Register of Best Safeguarding Practices
Nigeria does not have a practice listed on the Best Safeguarding Practices Register.
Emergency backup list
Nigeria does not have a practice on the Emergency Safeguarding List.
