In line with its response to COVID-19, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Tourism Ethiopia are working keenly to share and exchange experiences of Ethiopian heritages using online platform in which local and foreign communities turn to heritages as a source of resilience and recovery.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald Indegena Desalegn, Acting Head of Public Relation and Communication Directorate said that the Ministry is preparing different documents online in order to promote Ethiopia’s heritages. Communities restricted from coming together to share and enjoy many aspects of their intangible cultural heritages.
Experiences shared so far through the online survey have shown the scale of disruption across the world, with many significant festive events and rituals cancelled or postponed. We are also working with UNESCO, WTO and other international organizations to support the sector, he added.
This week, Ethiopia has also celebrated Fichee-Chambalaalla which is a New Year festival celebrated among the Sidama people and one of UNESCOs intangible heritages, he noted. Though the festival was celebrated colorfully on street with active participation of communities and officials for the past decades, due to this pandemic it was not able to celebrate it on the street.
As to him, online panel discussions and documentaries were prepared to indicate the celebration in collaboration with SNNPRs. Apart from social media, the ministry is working with the mainstream media for better result, he stated.
Fitsum Kasahun, Public Relation Director for Tourism Ethiopia on his part said that the pandemic has not only caused disruptions in the social and cultural lives of many, but has also resulted in loss of income for practitioners of tourism sector.
Although it is still early to assess the economic costs, practitioners the world over, have responded to the survey noting loss of livelihoods as they face challenges in supplying orders and accessing raw materials, he asserted.
As to him, social networks are playing a prominent role in helping people stay connected while being physically apart. More time spent in the home has heightened opportunities for teaching about intangible cultural heritage within the family. And it helps foreigners to plan to visit Ethiopia after the pandemic went out.
Many elements of intangible cultural heritage are being transformed in the context of the pandemic to support and reinforce public health measures. Artists in Ethiopia, for example, are sharing poetic verses related to COVID-19, creating face masks using traditional design and techniques, Fetsum added.
Document from UNESCO has also revealed that the office has launched online platform on living heritage and the COVID-19 pandemic. Online initiatives and platforms have sprung up, providing new ways to disseminate and transmit knowledge about intangible cultural heritage. And some countries are exercising it well.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the fragility of living heritage in emergencies, such situations can also provide reinvigorating or creative contexts for intangible cultural heritage, prompting the re-emergence or renewal of interest in abandoned elements or even the emergence of new ones the document stated.
Meanwhile, anonymous source from one of tour operators in Addis Ababa told The Ethiopian Herald that, heritages particularly, intangible cultural heritage, however, is dynamic in nature and has the capacity to adapt and evolve. The source further appreciated the action taking by the government in order to support the sector especially the tax debit rate cancelation and decrement.
As to the source, this pandemic has highly affected the tourism sector. “It is possible to say that almost all tourism activity is closed across the country due the impact of covid-19. As a result most of tour operators and guides are suffered with high economic crises,” our source added.
Promoting Ethiopia using different social websites helps tourists to think about their visit to Ethiopia in the future so far. And this will be important for reviving the sector.
The Ethiopian Herald May 23/2020
BY HIZKEL HAILU
