12 Traditions from Eight
Nations Need Safeguarding

The list was discussed and approved during the UNESCO Intangible Heritage conference taking place in 
Abu Dhabi.

The inscription of cultural practices in Belarus, China, France, Kenya, Latvia, Mali, Mongolia and Vietnam, which were examined by independent experts, also marks the launch of the List of Intangible Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The list includes the Rite of the Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars) from Belarus; Qiang New Year festival , the designs and building of traditional wooden arch bridges, Li textile techniques (spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering), all from China; the Cantu in paghjella, a secular male singing tradition from Corsica; the traditions and practices associated to the Kayas in the sacred forests of the Mijikenda, Kenya; Latvia’s Suiti (a small Catholic community) customs and traditions, from singing to costumes and wedding practices; the Sanké mon, a collective fishing rite commemorating the founding of the San town in Mali; the Biyelgee traditional folk dance, the Tuuli epic, an oral tradition comprising thousands of heroic verses, and the traditional music of Tsuur, all from Mongolia; the Ca trù, a complex form of sung poetry practised in the north of Vietnam, using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the UNESCO Committee accepted all 76 finalists for inclusion in the list of Safeguarding Intangible Heritage.

Only one of them came from the Middle East, and, more precisely, from Iran: the Radif musical style. Also Navruz, the celebration of New Year across Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Turkey.

The falconry file sent by UAE on behalf of 12 Arab and European countries earlier this year, will be discussed by the committee next year.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com