44 - CLT/CIH/ITH 553YEM4000

Project:Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Song ofSana’a, a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

Budget code:553YEM4000

Sector/Division:UNESCO Cairo Office

Project officer:(Senior Programme Specialist for Culture, UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo, Mr. Gérard de Puymège)

(Liaison Officer at HQs Ms.Bedjaoui, Assia, CLT/CH/ITH)

(Focal Point at UNESCO Cairo, Ms. Hoda Abdel-Meguid, PA/D/CAI)

Project budget:US$ 96,513 (including programme support costs)

Implementation period:

original:November 2005 –October 2007

proposed:March 2006 –October 2008

Date of most recent regular progress report on project:December 2006

Major developments since the most recent progress report:

Preliminary Phase:Setting-up of the project and purchase of materials

1)Third Steering Committee Meeting was held on 13th May 2007 at the premises of the Yemeni Center for Musical Heritage attended by the honourable newly-appointed Minister of Culture; HE Dr. Muhammad Al-Maflahi, HE Dr. Abdel-Aziz Al-Maqaleh, President’s Advisor of Cultural Affairs and Rector of the Yemeni Center for Research and Studies, and Mr. Muttahar Taqi, President of the Chamber for the Tourism Development.

2)On the occasion of the conclusion of the above 3rd SC Meeting, a lot of recorded materials’ donations were offered to the YCMH by the following key persons and authorities in Yemen:

  1. Director of the National Center for Archives affiliated to the Presidency Cabinet; Dr. Qadi Ali Abul Rijal, the outstanding knowledgeable national of Yemeni music, donated his personal collections of 120 musical records (78 rdp); all are in very good condition; and he also signed an agreement with YCMH director to lend them 72 rare recorded tapes from the 1970s to be copied on CDs and then to be returned back to him.
  2. The Director of the French Centre for Archaeology and Social Sciences in Sana'a (CEFAS, Yemen) and director and Mil al-Dhahab in Sana’a (NGO) also offered dozens of 78 rdp recordings; and
  3. The President of the Yemeni Chamber of Tourism Development lent several Yemeni lutes to be used by trainees during any foreseen training sessions due to be held within the project’s workplan.

3)In line of the instruments related to the Song of Sana’a art including hand-making, teaching, and conserving, a proposal of the Sana’a National Museum to set up a special exhibition room dedicated for the musical instruments. Again, Yemeni lutes were purchased following the hand-making of the first Yemeni lute; whereas during the last official mission undertaken to Sana’a by UNESCO Cairo staff, the project’s coordinator decided to go for fixing old instruments rather than new ones in order to reduce costs.

Official missions undertaken by UNESCO Staff in Cairo:

4)Second official mission to Sana’a, Yemen undertaken by Ms. Abdel-Meguid during 16-29 January 2007 (co-financed by UNESCO CLT 553YEM4000 and 24225114CAI budget resources).

5)Third official mission to Sana’a, Yemen undertaken by Ms. Abdel-Meguid during 30/3 - 10/4 2007 (no budget resources utilized from the 553YEM4000 project and mission covered by UNESCO Cairo RP Budget).

6)Fourth official mission undertaken by Mr. de Puymège and Ms. Abdel-Meguid to Sana’a, Yemen during 31 August - 6 September 2007 (no budget resources utilized from the 553YEM4000 project and mission covered by one of the UNESCO RP Project).

More elaborate details are stated in the attached mission reports.

Phase I:Inventory making and transmission activities

7)Continuation of data entry process in the project’s database (210 records out of 300);

8)Issuing the project’s 2nd Newsletter in English (first edition in Arabic and second one in English);

9)Another email address () is now available;

10)Completion of the purchase of the advanced high-tech sound equipment and software necessary for recording (MBox/ Microphone Preamplifier/ Cardio Capsule Microphone/ Microphone Couple Bar/ Elastic suspension for microphones/ Softie for Microphones/ and Cables) from France last March 2007;

11)A team of hymnodists (munshidin) under the leadership of Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Akwa’ recorded a group of shared poems of Sana’a Songs and other inshad repertory;

12)A training session was held at the premises of the YemeniCenter for Musical Heritage (YCMH) during 6 March – 2 April 2007 and offered to national trainees by Mr. Pribislave Pitoeff (French national, International expert of sound archiving and field recording; Musee de l’Homme, Paris).

13)A 10-day field research trip during 11-20 March 2007 was undertaken by the Project’s National Coordinator to al-Mukalla/ Hadhramawt for collecting information about the history of the musical instruments (old Yemeni lute - turbi/ qabus) used in the eastern region of Yemen; and

14)A local master, Mr. Hassan al-Ajami, is carrying out researches for gathering information on the history of Yemeni lute as well as its playing techniques.

Special problems encountered and the prospect of the project at present:

-One of the delay factors of the project’s implementation starting date was due to the late establishment of the coordination agreement among the executing partners in Yemen; namely, Social Fund for Development, Yemeni Center for Musical Heritage and French Center for Archaeology and Social Sciences that took place in the last week of May 2006 despite of the fact that the first instalment of our UNESCO-Social Fund Contract was effected by mid of February 2006 following the contract signing by end of January 2006;

-As the remaining advanced high-tech sound equipment and software necessary for recording (MBox/ Microphone Preamplifier/ Cardio Capsule Microphone/ Microphone Couple Bar/ Elastic suspension for microphones/ Softie for Microphones/ and Cables) were not available in the local market of Yemen, a French International expert purchased these items from Paris, France last March 2007.

Particular observations on the financial situation of the project:

NA

Recommendation on decisions to be taken during the review meeting:

The implementation of the above-mentioned project has been delayed justified in the above stated factors and in order to ensure its proper completion, it would be most grateful if the Japanese authorities approve our extension request of the project’s implementation period until 31 October, 2008, taking into consideration that the current date for the completion of the project is 31 October 2007.

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 First SCM held in 8/7/2006 & Second SCM held in 4/12/2006.