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Guruna UNESCO success: contributors awarded national honors

February 10, 2026

By Presidential Decree dated February 10, 2026, the Presidency of the Republic has awarded national honors to members of the team behind the successful inscription of Guruna on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The distinctions, granted on an exceptional basis under the Order of Merit of Arts and Letters, were awarded to Abakar Rozzi Teguil, elevated to the rank of Commander; Abdoulaye Souleymane Ousmane Babale, Routouang Mohamed Ndonga Christian, N’Djerabe Mbaikoua Yves, Kolina Jérémie and Vissia Bouranga, appointed as Officers; and Koumnde Mbaitoubam, Dode Houehounha, Djoumba Boussaina and Sobdibe Mallaye, named Knights.

The Guruna inscription marks a historic milestone for Chad, reflecting national efforts to safeguard and promote living cultural heritage at the international level.

Aisha DUWAI Ali

Djinodji Solmengar

Djinodji Solmengar

Djinodji Solmengar Rodrigue is a journalist with MRTV English, Chad’s first English-language media outlet, where he led English-language news coverage at its launch. Based in N’Djamena, his reporting explores political, economic, and social developments, with particular attention to everyday realities, informal sectors, and cultural life. His work also extends to football and broader societal issues, approached through field reporting and in-depth storytelling. Beyond reporting, Djinodji regularly conducts interviews focused on education, including the teaching of English in Chad, as well as conversations (with AFROTRONIX, to name a few) on culture and music. He is also active as an English–French interpreter, working alongside international media professionals. In this capacity, he recently supported and interpreted for a delegation of foreign journalists, including BBC representatives, during the PND Chad Connexion 2030 mission. Alongside his professional practice, Djinodji is pursuing a PhD, with research centered on the presence of China and Russia in Africa as portrayed in selected Commonwealth online media. His academic interests lie at the intersection of media, geopolitics, and discourse analysis. Earlier in his career, he taught English and authored a Master’s thesis examining the contextualization of English language teaching in Chad, reflecting a sustained engagement with educational challenges and policy.

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