E. Desired Results
This section explains how the activities will contribute to achieving desired results.
This project addresses (1) the imminent loss of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), (2) the historical exclusion of key stakeholders in cultural preservation, and (3) a need for knowledge-based economic development including scholar-educators capable of knowledge and skills transfer to students and community members. We will directly address these issues by building capacity for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) preservation amongst a wide range of stakeholders, including community members and early-career scholar-educators in Nigeria and people of African descent in the United States. Unlike many programs that emphasize dialogue in the form of meetings with sitting fees, this project will focus on experiential learning and applied research. We will focus directly on collaboration across ethnic and generational boundaries to produce tangible produces which will ultimately promote peaceful dialogue. Technology is now affordable and widely available but competency in data management and analysis is lacking. In a wired world, where young people are increasingly focused on digital media, not having documentation of language and ICH traditions drastically lowers the likelihood of intergenerational transmission and sustainability of indigenous culture. Furthermore, the public accessibility of grant products will foster interethnic understanding which emphasizes similarities over differences.
While Yorùbá culture is extensively documented and has benefited from international funding to support its preservation, most of Nigeria’s cultures (approximately 500) have never received such support to sustain and share their traditions. This is compounded by the de-emphasis of Social Sciences and Humanities in Nigerian public universities, disciplines which were never of interest to private universities. African Americans, many of whom have Nigerian ancestry, are also key stakeholders in the preservation of indigenous cultures of West and Central Africa. The link between Nigeria and the US is becoming increasingly apparent as links to specific regions and ethnic groups are revealed through genetic testing and online historical records. For a variety of reasons, black Americans are less involved than white Americans in cultural heritage preservation in West Africa. This project will provide an accessible opportunity for HBCU students to participate in these efforts.
| Phase 1 will produce a comprehensive and accessible inventory of the ethnic diversity of central Nigeria with an assessment of linguistic and cultural endangerment as well as an outline of community aspirations. |
| Phase 2 will produce collections of born-digital audiovisual and text materials for 20 focus cultures that will record the cultural richness of the minorities, to make this available to the international community and inspire a next generation of Nigerian researchers and activists. |
| Phase 3 will produce content in compressed and interoperable formats that enable the wide distribution through a variety of personal devices including flash drives and mobile devices. In addition, we will help communities to apply for their Intangible Cultural Heritage to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Only one item on the list is from the Middle Belt even though there are 300 or more distinct ethnolinguistic cultures. |
It is expected that the project will have long-term impact amongst minority cultures in the Middle Belt Region. Local, national, and international dissemination of grant products including videos, descriptions, and translations will generate awareness and preserve the traditions for future generations. Most importantly, we believe circulation of content produced by the project in the host communities will encourage the continuing practice of these traditions and, perhaps, the revitalization of dormant activities. Each funded (1) Activity will yield a specific (2) Product with anticipated (3) Outcomes.
| Activity | Product | Outcomes |
| Phase 1: Inventory of 50 Middle Belt cultures | A uniform database posted to scholarly repositories | Accurate information is available for Communities, LGAs, State, Federal and International bodies. New comparative research is possible. Tertiary resources such as databases, atlases, encyclopedias, and wikidata are updated. Max Planck, World Atlas of Languages, Ethnologue, ELAR and many resources on which scholars regularly rely on such information. |
| Phase 2: Documentation of 10 Focus cultures | Audiovisual media and text files with metadata and annotations posted to scholarly repositories and streaming platforms with open-access privileges | Unique resources on threatened and undocumented cultures which enable scholarship and education on minority cultures in Nigeria. |
| Phase 3: Preventive conservation in 10 Focus cultures | Training of community participants in documentation, data management, streaming media distribution, formatting for file sharing. | Sustainability of the project as an activity within the community and expansion of project aims through knowledge transfer. |
| Phase 3: Preventive conservation in 10 Focus cultures | Finished materials are deposited in dark storage for long-term preservation | Grant products will be preserved and can be restored from catastrophic loss and restoration is not dependent on copies kept by project personnel or participants. Crucial to responsible data management and sustainability of project impact. |
| Phase 3: Preventive conservation in 10 Focus cultures | Batches of compressed files are returned to participants in each community | As a result, we anticipate that participants will (1) share grant products with all members of the community which will encourage the continuity of documented traditions and revitalization and documentation of other traditions, (2) share grant products with people outside of the community who may be encouraged to preserve and document their traditions, (3) prepare an application for UNESCO Inscription based on grant products in collaboration with other communities and (4) share grant products with state and federal government officials to attract support for inscription and further preservation. |
