Cambodia, an Intangible Cultural Heritage example.
Cambodia, a Cultural Diversity example.
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Cambodia, an Intangible Cultural Heritage example.
Cambodia, a Cultural Diversity example.
As the Director General of UNESCO has affirmed, the International community now has a complete set of rules concerning Cultural Heritage, comprising three main international conventions: the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted in 2003 and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted in 2005.
If we start with the Istanbul Declaration, adopted in September 2002, the first thing we need to do is to stress a few basic aspects contained in this document.
These clearly express the need that “an all-encompassing approach to cultural heritage should prevail, taking into account the dynamic link between the tangible and intangible heritage and their close interaction”. This Declaration also affirms that the true significance of the tangible heritage lies in its deep values.
On the other hand, the intangible heritage should also cover material manifestations – i.e. visible signs – since conservation is just one of the many forms of possible safeguarding. There is a lot of debate about this, pointing to a far wider representation of cultures around the world.
Intangible heritage is the expression of processes and practices and calls for special approaches and methods for its conservation. It is, by its very nature, fragile and so more vulnerable than other forms of heritage, since it depends on the figures involved, social/environmental conditions and the rate of change.
Safeguarding of the world’s intangible cultural heritage includes the gathering, documenting and archiving of personal testimony, as well as protecting and supporting the “holders” of this culture. While tangible cultural heritage is destined to survive many years after the death of the individuals responsible for creating it, the fate of intangible cultural heritage is strictly linked to its creators, as - for the most part - it depends on oral transmission.
Evolution in our approach to this heritage is making it increasingly obvious that there is a need to safeguard “the very concept of diversity”.
The initial draft of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, prepared in 2003 - 2004, neatly fits in with UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
Although this project does not cover the entire sector, it reflects various precise themes in the Declaration, especially the need to consider cultural goods and services as conveyors of identity and values rather than products or consumer goods. It also stresses the necessity for States to adopt all the measures needed to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expression, while also guaranteeing the free circulation of ideas and works.
This Convention provides us with a new step forward in the long process of thought and action undertaken by UNESCO to date, together with all its partners, in order to protect and promote a cultural diversity that is at the centre of converging or diverging challenges, past and present. In fact, cultural diversity is a continuously evolving form of cultural heritage and full of interest today.
The Universal Declaration of 2001 stressed the urgency of the need to protect cultural diversity in the light of today’s globalisation. This process, made easier by today’s rapid evolution in information and communications technology, represents a challenge for cultural diversity, while at the same time creating the right conditions for renewed dialogue between different cultures and civilisations.
Mounir Bouchenaki
1800 - 2000 - - rev. 0.1.9