FOR THE FIRST TIME THE AMBASSADORS FUND FOR PRESERVATION SUPPORTS TWO INTANGIBLE HERITAGE PROJECTS
The Ambassador of the United States, Lisa Kenna, announced that for the first time the “Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation” supports two intangible cultural heritage projects, in addition to an emergency fund for the preservation of the Kuélap Fortress.
The selected projects include:
- Preserving the Kukama language through Radio Ucamara in Loreto: US$30,000.
- ANKEME: Strengthening the living heritage of Asháninka oral tradition for good indigenous governance in the central jungle in Satipo, Junín region: US$70,000.
- Saving Kuélap: Conservation study; together with the World Monuments Fund and the Archaeologist Iván Ghezzi in Amazonas: US$40,000.
The project in Nauta, Loreto is committed to revitalizing the Kukama language to strengthen the identity and protection of the Marañón River. Experts from Radio Ucamara, an indigenous radio station that is part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, will work with Kukama grandfathers and grandmothers to expand the Ikuari School program that teaches the Kukama language through intergenerational exchange and art. The project will finance meetings of language teaching groups, video clips, documentaries and recordings to be broadcast to wider audiences through Radio Ucamara, the most successful and emblematic indigenous radio program in the Peruvian Amazon.
The ANKEME project in Junín aims to support the e Ashaninka people in recognition and protection of their valuesand cultural practices. The project contributes to the revitalization of intangible cultural heritage throughhistorical stories and care in the world passed down by generations.
The project in Kuelap, carried out with the World Monuments Fund and led by archaeologist Ivan Ghezzi, will finance an important contribution to the diagnosis of the state of conservation of the citadel, using cutting-edge satellite technology that will allow a better understanding of the conservation needs of the site. For the study, multitemporal interferometry of synthetic aperture radar images (MT-InSAR) will be used to detect with high precision the deformation of its structures over time. The project will help improve understanding of the causes of the deterioration that is occurring in Kuélap and will help to identify the most vulnerable areas.
Since 2001, the Ambassadors Fund has supported 34 projects in 16 regions of Peru.
The Ambassadors Fund is a highly competitive program that receives projects from cultural institutions and museums around the world for a limited number of sponsorships. Peru is the country that has received the most funds in Latin America through this program, with a total financing of more than US$3.5 million. All this support is made within the framework of the Agreement for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Peru, which has just celebrated 25 years of active and fruitful joint work between our countries.
The call for the Ambassadors Fund for next year is open until January 2, 2023. Information can be found on the Embassy’s website https://pe.usembassy.gov/es/ and its Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/Peru.usembassy/.
Those interested can also write to LimaPDgrants@state.gov