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Empowering Kenya's Youth for Heritage Preservation and Promotion
The 5th National Youth Workshop on Culture and Heritage took place in Machakos County, Kenya on 17-18 May 2023. It was organized as part of the celebration of the Africa World Heritage Day by the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO, with support from the UNESCO Nairobi, and aimed to enhancing the capacity and knowledge of young Kenyans interested in preserving and promoting cultural heritage, as upheld by the concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Over 56 participants from all 47 Counties in Kenya, who are passionate about the preservation and promotion of culture, attended the forum, representing counties, Department of Culture, government agencies, civil society organizations and professionals in the field of culture.
As a vector for youth development and civic engagement, culture plays an essential role in promoting sustainable, social and economic development for future generations.
Mr. David Ngumi, Director for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, Machakos County, opened the workshop by stating the County’s commitment to promoting and preserving Kamba culture and heritage through maintenance of positive and diverse culture for national identity, pride, integration and cohesion to thrive. He expressed the Governor’s and the Culture County Executive Officer’s gratitude for hosting the workshop and welcomed further collaborations in the promotion and preservation of cultural and natural heritage.
The youth act as a bridge between cultures and serve as key agents in promoting peace and intercultural understanding
In his remarks, Dr. Joel Ongoto, further mentioned other global instruments that play a great role in promoting social cohesion and mutual understanding, beyond cultural, ethnic or religious divide, outlining in this regard the AU Agenda 2063, specifically its Aspiration 5 which calls for “An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics.”
This initiative reaffirms UNESCO’s commitment to ensuring training of hundreds of experts and professionals in site conservation and the use of digital technologies, with a view to improving World Heritage preservation and management, and enabling African populations - especially young people- to reclaim their heritage and history.
Moving forward, UNESCO Priority Programmes on Sustainable Tourism and E-Heritage will create relevant space to continue this conversation while ensuring the perspective, creativity, innovation and active participation of the youth is properly included.
Participants and conveners agreed that the 6th Annual National Youth Workshop on Culture and Heritage will tentatively be held in Turkana County, in May 2024.
