BY TEWODROS KASSA
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It is also comprised of living expressions inherited from our ancestors, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social manners, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices related to nature and the universe, and knowledge and techniques linked to traditional crafts. Despite its fragility, intangible cultural heritage or living heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity.
Ethiopia is home to diversified cultural assets that help to reflect the happiness and angers of people. The country embraces an age old cultural heritages that include both tangible and intangible cultural assets and solely reflect every nations, nationalities, and people of the country’s way of life, dressing style, music, dancing, holiday celebration, mourning, among others.
According to experts in the heritage sector, the conservation of cultural assets plays a fundamental role to augment the country’s tourism sector income through attracting numerous local and international tourists.
Recently, the Buhe religious and cultural festival was marked colorfully in various parts of the country and preparations are underway to inscribe the festival as a national intangible cultural heritage.
In connection with the festival, Addis Ababa City Administration Culture and Tourism Bureau Senior Heritage Expert Memhir Mekibib Gebremariam told The Ethiopian Herald that various studies have been conducted on the preconditions that enable Buhe’s cultural celebration inscription as a national heritage.
Accordingly, the Authority for Research and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) has done successive researches in various parts of the country where the holiday is marked colorfully. The Buhe celebration is more known is Menz, Gondar, Wollo, South Gondar (Debre Tabor) and Addis Ababa, he said. As to him, the registration of this cultural celebration as a national heritage will have a significant socio-economic roles.
The expert told this writer that the registration and conservation of the country’s diversified intangible and tangible cultural heritages is important to promote the country’s tourism sector through building the national image among the international community.
Moreover, the City Administration Culture and Tourism Bureau in collaboration with pertinent stakeholders facilitate the platform to celebrate the day through keeping the original cultural ceremonial process annually.
Thus, celebrating the day in such colorful manner helps the new generation learn more from the country’s cultural assets, and to maintain its cultural aspects without losing values, he emphasized.
“Currently, the new generation is playing an important role in preserving and celebrating such cultural holidays through inheriting and keeping our forefather’s/foremother’s cultural wisdom and arts. It is the right time to utilize the immense potentials of cultural heritages through promoting via the social and mainstream media,” he said.
Currently, the Ethiopian Government has given due priority to develop the tourism sector and generate a tangible income from the sector.
On his part, Debre Tabor University President Anegagregn Gashaw (PhD) said that Buhe festivity signifies new hope and togetherness among celebrants of the festival.
As to him, the traditional torch (Chibo) burnt during Buhe celebration symbolically represents light and the celebration demonstrates new hope regardless of the nation’s present situations. Such religious and cultural celebration could serve as significant tools to embrace new hope and beginnings as a nation; and plays a paramount of importance in enhancing people to people relations.
As to the President, the nation could also benefit greatly through promoting such festivals. “Due emphasis should be given for festival tourism as the nation owns similar religious and cultural celebration that could be interpreted for social and economic purposes,” he underscored.
In this regard, Debre Tabor University is undertaking several activities joining force with concerned institutions. The fourth round celebration of Buhe was celebrated in attendance of government officials, religious leaders and prominent individuals with various events in Debre Tabor.
On the celebration, Minister of Industry Melaku Alebel said that conserving and developing the country’s diversified cultural values will have significant socio-economic contributions.
During the celebration of the 4th round Buhe festival at Debre Tabor Mountain Eyesus Church, Minister Melaku said that the Ministry of Tourism and its subsequent offices should fulfill their responsibilities of promoting the country’s ancient cultural and religious values to the rest of the world.
As to him, promoting the cultural values successfully will have an indispensable role in supporting the country’s endeavors to register a sustainable socio-economic growth.
“Our forefathers/mothers sacrificed a lot to inherit us these unique, essential values. To this end, tourism bureaus, concerned institutions including the society should exert their responsibility to promote and preserve these values,” he said.
This year’s Buhe festival celebration is unique where Ethiopia has successfully defended the internal and external enemy’s sabotages to disintegrate it, he added.
Moreover, Buhe celebration organizes and unites people from all walks of life and efforts should be exerted to promote similar festivals given their societal roles. Numerous participants have attended the celebration in different parts of the country.
In sum, cultural heritages contribute to the continuous revaluation of cultures and identities and are an important vehicle for the transmission of experiences, skills and knowledge between generations. Furthermore, heritage is a source of inspiration for creativity and innovation that generate contemporary and future cultural products. Cultural heritage has the potential to promote access to and enjoyment of cultural diversity. It can also enrich social capital and create a sense of individual and collective belonging, which helps to maintain social and territorial cohesion. On the other hand, cultural heritage has become economically significant for the tourism sector in many countries. This also creates new challenges for its conservation.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 2 SPTEMBER 2022
