In Bolivia, the annual Oruro Carnival features a ceremonial parade involving 20,000
dancers. |
A
new era is beginning for the 19 cultural treasures that have been declared Masterpieces
of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco
When UNESCO’s Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity list was announced in Paris last May, several Spaniards
dashed out of the ceremony and shouted jubilantly into mobile phones. They were letting
people know that the mystery play of Elche had been proclaimed a masterpiece. The
news spread like wildfire in the southern Spanish town and soon hundreds of people
were out in the streets, letting off fireworks in an early start to the next day’s
official festivities.
Such delight might seem a bit over the top, since Elche already figures on the World
Heritage List with El Palmeral, a grove of date palms planted at the time of the
Arab invasion 1,000 years ago when the town was in Muslim hands. But El Palmeral
doesn’t move the people of Elche half as much as the “Misteri d’Elx,” as it is known
in the local Valencian language.
Attracting
media attention
Every
year, on August 14 and 15, 300 volunteers stage a play in the town’s Santa Maria
Basilica depicting the death, assumption and coronation of the Virgin Mary. The sacred
musical drama is a part of the town’s cultural and linguistic identity that has been
maintained since the 15th century.
The first to appreciate a cultural treasure being put on the Intangible Heritage
List are those at the heart of such masterpieces–such as the five Indians who still
speak the Zápara language in the jungles of the Amazon or the storytellers
of the Djamma el-Fna Square in Marrakesh (Morocco). All of them are proud the world
has recognized the deepest roots of their identity.
Getting on the list can also mean an end to decades of media indifference. India
has thus rediscovered the Kuttiyattam dance theatre, kept alive today by five Chakyar
families in the southern part of the country. In China, the oldest and one of the
most influential theatrical traditions, Kunqu, has become the talk of the town. Such
treasures were recognized already, but their arrival on the list gives them “a new
dimension,” says Noriko Aikawa, head of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage Section. This
sudden fame is the key to raising funds, getting the authorities involved and securing
international help.
Getting
straight with history
This
has happened with the Garifuna culture in Central America, which was put on the list
for its language, music and dances. The Garifuna people (known as Garinagu or Black
Caribs) are descendants of rebel African slaves who live in Belize (which presented
their candidacy) and along the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala.
To prevent their language from dying out, teachers from Belize’s National Garifuna
Council went to Nicaragua to keep it alive. Roy Cayetano, Belize’s deputy minister
for rural development and culture, says that after the list’s announcement, Nicaraguan
culture ministry officials asked if they could support the project. This is important
for plans to standardize Garifuna spelling, and provides valuable recognition for
the 11,000 or so Garifuna scattered in 10 communities in the four countries.
UNESCO will also be funding other projects submitted by the new list members to preserve
and promote such endangered cultural treasures.
www.unesco.org/culture/heritage/intangible |
