ADDIS ABABA – Gurage Zone Culture and Tourism Department stated that it is working hard to register the Gurage identity and features under the United Nations Education Science Culture and Organization (UNESCO) during the Meskel festivity.
Department’s Head Meseret Amerega told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that it has been carrying out various activities to register the Gurage identity and characteristics as a world heritage when the zone celebrates Meskel. Meskel is the identity and characteristics of Gurage people.
“It means that the Gurage zone is one of the areas of the country where the festival of Cross is celebrated. A preliminary activity has been done to celebrate the cross annual festivals with protecting the image of the religion and culture this year.”
According to her, the festival of the cross is celebrated in the selected places annually in the zone. This year, at the government level, the festival is celebrated for the 6th time in Mihur Aklil district with the presence of various stakeholders and tourists since September 19.
Meseret further stated that an exhibition will be held to show the whole process of making Gurage kitfo (food prepared from raw meat-butter with a key ingredient of kocho), the decoration of Gurage villages, and the making of traditional huts and similar works of art during the celebration. “It is significantly useful to promote Gurage’s tourism potential and to showcase for tourists that the people of Gurage and the cross festival are the two sides of a coin.”
“The cross festival will be held until October 12 whilst various activities such as cabbage kitfo, Demera (the burning of a large bonfire), livestock slaughter ceremony, and related issues will be carried out.”
She stressed that the department has been working a lot in promoting the wide landscape of the area, cultural values, and the like to the rest of the world and ensuring the people benefit from the sector in the near future.
The number of tourist inflow is increasing from time to time whilst it is a golden opportunity to promote and develop the tourism sites in the zone. Besides, the department is striving more to transfer the original religion and cultural values for the new generation with effective protection.
BY MESERET BEHAILU
The Ethiopian Herald September 28/2023
