Sammendrag
The world consists of a million different things; actions, words, physical objects, language, instruments, roads, music, culture, political agreements, bureaucracy, paperwork, relationships, nature and so on. It is all a conglomeration of passing interaction that creates moments in space and time. What is kept and what is forgotten of these moments is decided by people, through museums, archives, pictures and written documentation, but also through daily use of objects, words and music. So how do we decide what to keep and what to leave behind? Projects concerned with safeguarding the intangible heritage of state nations are being initiated all over the world. Despite vast changes in archiving, communication and technical equipment available to individuals and projects concerned with recording and safeguarding traditional music, the terms used have stayed mostly the same. Malawi Folksong Project is by far one of the most encompassing projects conducted in Southern Africa concerned with protecting, safeguarding and promoting a nations traditional music. Since the project was launched in November 2016 it has gathered an incredible amount of songs, visited villages and met the bearers of the traditional music. This study discusses different elements that are relevant in how we approach safeguarding and researching in intangible cultural heritage. It investigates the challenges and possibilities this project encounters when recording traditional music in Malawi in the years 2017 and 2018. The findings of this study suggest that we need to develop an approach that is not based on the old division between popular and traditional, tangible and intangible - one that acknowledges the dynamic nature of musical expression and cultural connection and see the possibilities this offers.