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Argentine Tango, Chinese Dragon Boat Fest May Get
into UNESCO Heritage List

ABU DHABI — Centuries-old traditions from around the world are, from today, being protected under the UNESCO wing, as the international organisation’s ongoing conference in the capital started evaluating the finalists to be accepted on its intangible heritage list.

“Before lunch time, we went over 37 elements and they were all accepted,” said Dr Ismail El Fihail, head of the Research Department at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

“Among them are the Argentine Tango and the beautiful Colombian carnival,” Dr El Fihail told Khaleej Times.

The tango, practised from Central America to Abu Dhabi itself, came to being in the 19^th century on the streets of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the capitals of Argentina and Uruguay. Its musical style originated among European immigrant populations living in those cities. Considered the most sensual dances of them all, the tango spread to Europe in the early years of the 20^th century, then to the USA.

The styles also diversified, the best known ones being the original Argentine tango and the ballroom tango.

Arising out of native Andean and Hispanic traditions, the Carnival de Negros y Blancos (Black and White Carnival) in San Juan de Pasto in south-western Colombia is a great celebration lasting from December 28 to January 6 each year. It begins with the Carnival of Water — the throwing of water in homes and on the streets to initiate a festive mood. On New Year’s Eve, the Old Year’s parade takes place, with marchers carrying satirical figures representing celebrities and current events, and culminating in a ritual burning of the passing year. The main days of the carnival are the last two, when people of all ethnicities don black cosmetics on the first day, then white talcum on the next to symbolise equality.

Another form of expression added to the UNESCO Representative List is the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month by several ethnic groups throughout China. A memorial ceremony offering sacrifices to a local hero is combined with sporting events such as dragon races, dragon boating and willow shooting, which is one of the main features of the festival.

Having all these customs and traditions included on the Representative List means that the authorities of China, Argentina and Columbia, as well as all other countries whose intangible heritage activities are inscribed on the UNESCO safeguarding list, have to protect, promote and generally pay money and attention to these traditions. Those in need of financial support will receive it from UNESCO and this, in fact, is also on the discussion agenda in the Abu Dhabi fourth UNESCO Intangible Heritage Committee session.

The conference will continue in Abu Dhabi until Friday, when all 76 finalists will be discussed.

According to Dr El Fihail, there is no limit on how many of them will be accepted or not. It all depends on how well they made the case for themselves.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com