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Traditional Music, Dance, Crafts, Poetry and Games at the 9th Session of the Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Intangible cultural heritage consists of living cultural traditions, including oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place in Paris from 24 to 28 November and will be chaired by Jos茅 Manuel Rodr铆guez Cuadros (Peru).
The 24-member Committee is in charge of implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which to date numbers 161 States Parties.
The Committee is scheduled to examine on the implementation of the Convention and on the current status of elements inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
鈥淭he vitality of this Convention and the interest it meets prove that many countries now recognize intangible heritage as a tool that can ensure sustainable development and that they integrate ever more fully its safeguarding in their development and planning programmes,鈥 declared the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova.
The Committee will also examine requests for inscription on the two intangible heritage lists: the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding is composed of intangible heritage elements whose viability is at risk and whose safeguarding is regarded as a matter of urgency. It numbers 35 elements to date and enables States Parties to the Convention to mobilize the international cooperation and assistance required to ensure the transmission of these cultural practices with the participation of the communities concerned.
This year鈥檚 eight nominations for inscription on the List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding are:
- Cambodia - Kun Lbokkator
- Croatia- Traditional handwheel pottery-making in Potravlje and Veli I啪
- Ethiopia - Wirshato festival
- Honduras - Oral traditions of Tolupanes from la Monta帽a de la Flor
- Kenya- Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya
- Pakistan - Promotion and preservation of Patiala Gharana, one of the ten gharanas (schools of thought) of classical music in Pakistan
- Uganda - Male-child cleansing ceremony of the Lango of central northern Uganda
- Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) - Mapoyo oral tradition and its symbolic reference points within their ancestral territory
The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has 281 elements to date. It aims to enhance the visibility of communities鈥 traditions and knowledge without recognizing standards of excellence or exclusivity.
This year鈥檚 46 nominations to the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity are:
- Algeria - Ritual and ceremonies of Sebe茂ba in the oasis of Djanet, Algeria
- Argentina - Caf茅 culture in the neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires: rituals, practices and social relationships
- Armenia - Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional Armenian bread as an expression of culture
- Azerbaijan - Traditional art and symbolism of Kelaghayi, making and wearing women鈥檚 silk headscarves
- Bangladesh - Traditional art of Nakshi Kantha embroidery
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of) - Pujillay and Ayarichi, music and dances of the Yampara culture
- Bosnia and Herzegovina - Zmijanje embroidery
- Brazil - Capoeira circle
- Bulgaria - Chiprovski kilimi (Chiprovtsi carpets)
- Burundi - Ritual dance of the royal drum
- Chile - Baile Chino
- China- Torch festival of the Yi people
- Croatia; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Serbia; Romania; Republic of Moldova; Turkey - Spring celebration: H谋drellez or Saint George鈥檚 day
- Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea - Arirang folk song in the Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea
- Egypt- Tahtib, stick game
- Estonia- Smoke sauna tradition in V玫romaa
- France- Gwoka: music, song, dance and cultural practice representative of Guadeloupean identity
- Greece - Know-how of cultivating mastic on the island of Chios
- India - Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India
- Iran (Islamic Republic of) - B膩r膩n Kh膩hi, rain-seeking rituals of Kabur膩n village, Tafresh
- Italy - Traditional agricultural practice of cultivating the 鈥榲ite ad alberello鈥 (head-trained bush vines) of the community of Pantelleria
- Japan - Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paper
- Kazakhstan - Kazakh traditional art of Dombra Kuy
- Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan - Traditional knowledge and skills in making Kyrgyz and Kazakh yurts (Turkic nomadic dwellings)
- Lebanon - Al-Zajal, recited or sung poetry
- Malawi - Tchopa, sacrificial dance of the Lhomwe people of southern Malawi
- Mali - Coming forth of the masks and puppets in Markala
- Mauritius - Traditional Mauritian Sega
- Mongolia - Mongolian knuckle-bone shooting
- Morocco - Practices and know-how concerning the argan tree
- Niger - Practices and expressions of joking relationships in Niger
- Nigeria - 脡kp猫 (leopard) initiation society
- Oman; United Arab Emirates - Al-Ayyala, a traditional performing art of the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates
- Peru - Festivity of Virgen de la Candelaria of Puno
- Portugal - Cante Alentejano, polyphonic singing from Alentejo, southern Portugal
- Republic of Korea - Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals in the Republic of Korea
- Romania - Processions to the monastery of Moisei for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary
- Saudi Arabia- Alardhah Alnajdiyah, Saudi Arabia dance, drumming and poetry
- Serbia- Slava, celebration of family saint patron鈥檚 day
- Slovakia - Radva艌 fair
- Slovenia - Skofja Loka Passion play
- Spain - Tamboradas drum-playing rituals
- The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Kopachkata, a social dance from the village of Dramche, Pijanec
- Turkey - Ebru, Turkish art of marbling
- Uzbekistan - Askiya, the art of wit
- Viet Nam - V铆 and Gi岷穖 folk songs of Ngh峄 T末nh
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The Committee meeting will take place at UNESCO鈥檚 Headquarters (Room I, 125, avenue de Suffren, Paris). Journalists wishing to cover the event are requested to contact UNESCO鈥檚 Press Service for accreditation.
Contacts:
Luc铆a Iglesias Kuntz 鈥 l.iglesias(at)unesco.org +33 (0)1 45 68 17 02
Isabelle Le Fournis 鈥 i.le-fournis(at)unesco.org +33 (0)1 45 68 17 48
