New Teacher’s Guide for Culture and Arts brings culture into the classrooms of Somalia
As part of the project “Promoting a culture of inclusion in Somalia” co-funded by UNESCO and the European Union and implemented by the Italian NGO International Committee for the Development of People (CISP) between 2018 and 2019, a Teacher’s Guide for Culture and Arts activities in schools was developed in English and Somali languages.
Over 700 school children in Somalia have already benefitted from the new Teacher’s Guide for Culture and Arts activities in schools manual, which presents different art methods such as storytelling, theatre and visual art, to facilitate self-exploration and sharing of personal experiences among children. As part of the EU/UNESCO project, a 5-day training was carried-out for 48 teachers and mentors at 24 schools in Mogadishu and Galkayo on how to utilize the guide to effectively facilitate culture and art-based activities for children.
Inspired by the UNESCO World Heritage in Young Hands Education Programme, CISP collaborated with teachers, experts in the education sector and in arts methodologies to develop the manual as a tool for teachers and mentors for the facilitation of extracurricular sessions using culture and arts to promote cultural heritage, peace and social inclusion in primary and secondary schools in Somalia.
In addition to using culture and arts to foster inclusion, national identity and intercultural dialogue in Somalia, the two-year (2018-2019) EU/UNESCO project “Promoting a culture of inclusion in Somalia” also included efforts to raise awareness of national authorities of the benefits of ratifying UNESCO Conventions in the field of Culture.
“Culture is a fundamental component of sustainable development and peacebuilding,” said Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa. “The integration of culture and arts into the learning environment of Somali classrooms through this new manual helps contribute to the balanced intellectual, emotional and psychological development of school children in Somalia,” she added