Short Abstract:

Anthropologists researching intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and have often critiqued hegemonic heritage management discourses and processes. In this panel, we seek to discuss and showcase ways in which to use anthropology to unwrite cultural heritage management in Africa and beyond.

Long Abstract:

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is now part of global processes of cultural heritage management and yet, ICH researchers are still, generally expected to render their findings in written form and to codify this knowledge for cultural heritage management purposes. In this panel it is proposed that ICH is multidimensional and is communicated in diverse ways. Anthropologists researching and documenting ICH are aware of this and are seeking to 'unwrite' ICH, and to represent it in its diverse forms. This will allow, as argued in literature on transmateriality, the presentation and articulation of diverse forms of 'worlding' (Pnina-Cabral 2014). In Africa specifically, we argue that this is critical, since it presents opportunities to decolonize knowledge and 'valued' knowledge forms. It also respects the multimodality of human experience and the integrity of ICH forms. Anthropologists collecting data on ICH are deeply aware of the disjunctures presented by 'writing' ICH. In this panel therefore, we encourage submission of global and African case studies that show how ICH can be unwritten for more authentic representation of cultural expression and for the undoing of colonial discourse and practice of heritage management. We encourage submissions of unwritten ICH in music, art, photography and other equally creative forms.

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