Download - Trust for African Rock Art

The Tara Engaging ModelBefore the implementation of the Suba project, TARA held an internal workshop at ouroffices to get staff views on how to successfully implement the project. In the proposal andbudget we had made provisions for training workshops to create awareness among thelocal community about their heritage, and build the capacity to manage tourism for theirbenefit. As we discussed the awareness creation training workshop, TARA Board member,Dr. George Abungu, was passing by. Listening to our discussions, he suggested that whatwe wanted to do was to engage the local community rather than train them. That was aneye-opener for us, and this concept has changed the way TARA approaches communitycapacity building in all our projects.Community ownership for any project is critical for sustainability and support of the projectduring the implementation phase. In endorsing TARA’s work, the former UN SecretaryGeneral, Kofi Annan said “...two initiatives are especially critical; educating our childrenand engaging local communities”. In TARA’s experience, conservation of rock art – aswith other heritage – is achieved only when community members are on board. It is onlythen that they become active participants in the management of the resources in theirlocalities.20TARA’s engaging model deviates from what we know as a training workshop: the facilitatorsand participants engage each other and share knowledge and experiences, resulting in amutually enriching exchange. Thismodel encourages both participantsand facilitators to learn from eachother, compare notes, discuss andcome to a common understanding.The rationale is that the communityhas a wealth of knowledge abouttheir own heritage, and aretherefore better placed to suggestlocal management strategies andinvolvement mechanisms that workbetter than those that are imposedfrom ‘outside’.Gladys Nyasuna-Wanga during a session at the Suba Engagers Workshop