Wikipedia:WikiAfrica/Stubs/Malawi Folktales Project

The Malawi Folktales Project digitally records and documents Malawian folktales which have been passed down orally for generations. The audio-visual recordings are used for both teaching life skills in early and primary education, and as a means to communicate Malawian wisdom and beauty to people across the world.

About the project
Malawi is endowed with a diversity of folktales and culture of storytelling handed down orally from one generation to the next. But because these stories exist only in oral form, very few are preserved in print or audio format. And with the aging of live performers, the precious intangible heritage is on the verge of extinction. The Malawi Folktales project aims to safeguard the Malawian cultural heritage before it disappears.

The project was initiated by Global Future Charitable Trust (GFCT) and the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO. GFCT is a registered charitable entity by New Zealand Charities Commission under the charities Act 2005 which aims to attain social change through sustainable human development as a means of expanding people's life.

Malawi National Commission for UNESCO is a government statutory body established to coordinate interaction between UNESCO and relevant Ministries, Departments, institutions of higher learning, civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations in UNESCO's fields of competence i.e. Education, Science, Social and Human Science, Culture and Communication.

Global Future Charitable Trust (GFCT) and Malawi National Commission for UNESCO approached Sony Corporation (Sony) who provided audio-visual recording equipment and technical training for Malawian engineers on this project. After, the team went on a tour of Malawi, digitally recording and documenting folktales. The folktales are recorded in digital form to capture the authentic living performance; the nuances of spoken word and gesture interacting with a responsive audience.