Impact
The recognition of the complex role of the arts, and more specifically sound and music has led to the development of a research programme which is highly participatory and with direct impact on the local community.
Through the collaboration with our partner organization, IVERCA, the project team will train community leaders in sonic arts and ethnographic methods and strategies in order to expand their practice. The team will also co-create a participatory audio-visual piece with a local music and dance group to be presented and performed in collaboration at the Mafalala Festival in November 2017. To ensure that impact is long lasting and that the material delivered during the training is useful 'on the ground', sound recording and editing kits will be made available to the IVERCA group for use in future projects. The project website will serve as a vehicle to showcase how these practices evolve.
During August 2017, the project team travelled to Maputo to initiate fieldwork and develop the first stage of the training process through workshops with the project partners IVERCA. The training sessions introduced sound arts and ethnographic techniques to the participants, exploring their practical usage to capture the neighborhood’s intangible heritage and oral history.
In parallel to the workshops, the team also engaged in specific fieldwork activity related to documenting Mafalala’s sound environment and compiling oral history of some of the neighborhood inhabitants that were relocated to Mafalala due to the armed conflict. The interview process led us to Saquia Rachide, the leader of a local Tufo traditional singing and dance group (and also one of the workshop participants). The interview gave us a deeper understanding of Tufo and its role as social critique and reflection in particular in conflict situations. As a result, we initiated a collaboration with the Tufo group which resulted in the preparation of a participatory audio-visual performance.