The Impact of Ik Community Cultural Tourism for Sustainable Development Project
This project empowers the Ik community to preserve their cultural heritage and build a brighter future through cultural tourism.
The project is an initiative of the Kara-Tunga Foundation with a focus on the threatened cultural heritage of the indigenous minority group called the Ik. With a population of only 7,000, they live in the extreme northeastern corner of the Karamoja sub-region of Uganda bordering South Sudan and Kenya.
The project documents the oral history, legends & myths, and traditional skills of the Ik communities. Stories will be co-created with the help of community elders and executed by the youth, integrated into tourist activities and visual stories. Communication will be generated through this process of co-creation, supporting the preservation of their legends and myths.
Kara-Tunga Eco Camps
The Kara-Tunga Eco-Camps are located amidst the Ik Community and provide job opportunities and market linkage for the community. A percentage of each booking goes directly to the community development fund. Especially through organising cultural tourism activities, the community can participate in various income-generating activities.
Cultural Heritage Protection Fund
The British Council's Cultural Protection Fund has awarded support to our Sustainable Preservation of Ik Community Cultural Heritage Initiative. The funding supports the ongoing documentation of their oral history and co-creation of engaging tourist activities.
To be eligible for support from the Cultural Protection Fund, projects must include activities that safeguard cultural heritage for future generations, protect heritage from risks relating to conflict, instability and/or climate change (and related disasters), and include meaningful involvement of the communities closest to the heritage.
Learn more at: www.kara-tunga.com/foundation
Video by: Eric Mukalazi