What is the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory?
What is Living / Intangible Heritage?
“The full range of today’s living expressions and practices, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and skills concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship, which are recognised, celebrated, and passed on from generation to generation.” UNESCO
This concept emphasises that living heritage is dynamic, evolving, and maintained through active participation and continuous transmission by communities, groups, and individuals.
The Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is generally organised into seven sections or components, which include:
- Oral Traditions and Expressions: Spoken stories, poetry, storytelling, and vocal arts.
- Performing Arts: Music, dance, theatre, and other live performance arts.
- Social Practices, Rituals, and Festive Events: Customs, ceremonies, festivities, and communal practices.
- Knowledge and Practices Concerning Nature and the Universe: Traditional ecological knowledge, astronomy, cosmology, and nature-related practices.
- Traditional Craftsmanship and Skills: Skills involved in traditional arts, crafts, and artisan practices.
- Materials and Equipment: Traditional tools, instruments, and materials used in cultural practices.
- Knowledge Concerning Nature and the Environment: Indigenous and local knowledge related to nature, biodiversity, and sustainable practices.
These sections help categorise and document different aspects of intangible heritage to facilitate their protection and transmission across generations.
What is the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage programme?
UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) work aims to protect and promote the diverse traditions, expressions, and cultural practices that are passed down through generations. The program emphasises the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to ensure cultural diversity and identity. It places intangible, or living, heritage for the first time on a par with tangible, or physical, heritage.
To achieve this, UNESCO are developing the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Countries are encouraged to prepare nominations for the inventory which UNESCO will review and, if accepted, include in the inventory.[1]
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport is coordinating the UK’s submission to the inventory.
