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Afro-descendant communities from the SICA region and Cuba are strengthening their intangible cultural heritage in an international workshop
A total of 28 representatives from Afro-descendant communities in the nine countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) region and Cuba participated in the workshop held in Panama from May 1 to 5.
The event marks the beginning of the workshop phase of the capacity strengthening project for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage of Afro-descendant communities in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.
This project is financed by and focuses on strengthening the capacities of community leaders and representatives of government institutions in each of the countries to engage in processes for the safeguarding of elements of the living heritage of the diverse Afro-descendant populations in the region.
The workshop aimed to provide a basic theoretical framework for understanding the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and to provide basic knowledge of the methodological tools necessary for the development and implementation of a mapping of living heritage elements.
The event was attended by Mrs. Gisselle Gonzales Villarué, Minister of Culture of Panama, and representatives from the Educational and Cultural Coordination of the Central American Integration System (CECC/SICA), the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL), and the Central American Black Organization (ONECA). UNESCO was represented through a video message by Mr. Alexander Leicht, Director of UNESCO Regional Office in San Jose and UNESCO representative to the CECC/SICA.
This is the first of three workshops that will be held throughout this year in different countries of the SICA region as part of this project.
The initiative seeks to strengthen the capacities of Afro-descendant communities for the safeguarding of their intangible cultural heritage and to promote its appreciation and recognition in society.
The project is part of the, proclaimed by the United Nations to promote the rights of Afro-descendant populations around the world, combat racism, and give visibility to both the contributions that these communities make in all areas and the multiple challenges they still face for their development.
About the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted in 2003. Its objective is to safeguard the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and techniques that communities recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This includes oral traditions, dance, music, theater, crafts, gastronomy, traditional medicine, ritual and festive acts, among other living manifestations of culture.
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