The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has congratulated the State Party on its first inscription, acknowledging the “perseverance and commitment in completing the application process,” a journey that began in 2015.
According to documentation available on the organization’s website, new studies were launched in 2023 after the loss of documentation, aiming to support the application process, ultimately leading to the inclusion of Tchiloli in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2024.
Tchiloli, a popular theater rooted in the tragedy of D. Carloto, is performed in open spaces during festivals or public events and involves actors, musicians, and audience participation.
“The story [of Tchiloli] revolves around a trial for homicide and involves about thirty actors. These actors play various roles within the judicial system: the victim’s family, the emperor and his court, and several judicial and public figures,” reads the documentation, with the main scene being “a public trial where the emperor’s son is accused of the crime,” “illustrating the value of equality before the law.”
For the protection and promotion of this cultural practice, UNESCO proposes safeguarding measures to be implemented by the Tchiloli Network with technical, financial, and logistical support from the São Tomé Government, including organizing contests and events, disseminating materials about the theater, transmitting knowledge and skills related to the practice, focusing on youth training, expanding the Tchiloli Network, and creating resource centers, a living museum, and scientific symposia on Tchiloli.
The Xigubo, a warrior dance traditionally practiced in southern Mozambique, which was also a candidate for the UNESCO list, was not inscribed because the organization considered that “the information included in the dossier is not sufficient” to enable the Committee to determine the criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
