The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
starting in 2001 to raise awareness of
intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and urge the protection of the communities that create them.
Several manifestations of intangible heritage around the world were awarded the status of ''Masterpieces;'' further proclamations occurred biennially.
The status exists to recognize the value of non-material culture, as well as to commit states to promote and safeguard the Masterpieces.
In 2008, the 90 declared Masterpieces were incorporated into the new
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as its first entries.
Background
UNESCO defines oral and intangible heritage as "the totality of tradition-based creations of a cultural community expressed by a group or individuals and recognized as reflecting the expectations of a community in so far as they reflect its cultural and social identity."
Language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
,
literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
,
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
and
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
game
A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...
s and
sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
,
culinary traditions,
rituals and
mythologies
Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
, knowledge and practices concerning the universe,
know-how
Procedural knowledge (also known as know-how, knowing-how, and sometimes referred to as practical knowledge, imperative knowledge, or performative knowledge) is the knowledge exercised in the performance of some task. Unlike descriptive knowledge ...
linked to
handicrafts
A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...
, and cultural spaces are among the many forms of intangible heritage.
Intangible heritage is seen as a repository of
cultural diversity and creative expression, as well as a driving force for living cultures.
Since it can be vulnerable to forces of
globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
,
social transformation, and
intolerance,
UNESCO encourages communities to identify, document, protect, promote and revitalize such heritage.
Upon the adoption of the
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in November 2001, UNESCO encouraged recognition and protection of intangible heritage in the same way as natural and cultural treasures of tangible heritage are protected.
UNESCO has, since 1972, maintained the
World Heritage List
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage. This was directed mostly to the protection and representation of tangible, monumental elements of past cultures or natural environment.
The Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity is UNESCO's response to the call for a wider definition of cultural heritage that includes intangible aspects.
The idea for the project came from a campaign to preserve
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
's
Jeema' el Fna Square in
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...
.
The square is known for traditional activities by storytellers, musicians and other performers, but it was threatened by economic development pressures.
In fighting for the protection of traditions, the residents called for international recognition of the need to protect such places—termed as cultural spaces—and other popular and traditional forms of cultural expression.
The UNESCO label of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity aims to raise awareness about the importance of oral and intangible heritage as an essential component of cultural diversity.
Proclamations

In 2001, the new program started identifying various forms of intangible heritage around the world for safeguarding.
Under this act,
UNESCO member states are each allowed to submit a single example of intangible cultural heritage within their territories. Multi-national nominations are also possible.
The nominated intangible heritage may fall into two categories as set by the program:
* forms of popular and traditional cultural expressions; or
* cultural spaces, i.e., places where cultural and popular activities are concentrated and regularly take place (markets squares, festivals, etc.)
The nominations are evaluated by a panel of experts in intangible heritage, including specialized
non-government organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
s (NGOs), and are further scrutinized by a jury whose 18 members have been selected by the UNESCO Director-General.
The cultural expressions and spaces proposed for proclamation had to:
# demonstrate their outstanding value as masterpiece of the human creative genius;
# give wide evidence of their roots in the cultural tradition or cultural history of the community concerned;
# be a means of affirming the cultural identity of the cultural communities concerned;
# provide proof of excellence in the application of the skill and technical qualities displayed;
# affirm their value as unique testimony of living cultural traditions;
# be at risk of degradation or of disappearing.
The nominees should be in conformity with UNESCO ideals, in particular, with the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...
.
The nomination proposals also have to provide proof of the full involvement and agreement of the local communities and to include an action plan for the safeguarding or promotion of the concerned cultural spaces or expressions. This plan has to be developed in close collaboration with the tradition bearers.
Through the nomination process, the member states are encouraged to compile an inventory of their intangible heritage, raising awareness and protection of these treasures. In turn, the proclaimed masterpieces receive commitment from UNESCO in financing plans for their conservation.
Proclamations in 2001, 2003, and 2005, designated a total of 90 forms of intangible heritage around the world as masterpieces:
Current status
The increasing number of candidature files received and number of Masterpieces proclaimed every two years meant that UNESCO's goal of raising awareness on the importance of the protection of intangible heritage has been achieved. The rise in the number of participating member states led to the 2003 adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which took effect in 2008.
The standard-setting instrument was meant to complement the 1972 World Heritage Convention in its protection of intangible culture.
Following the successful example of the World Heritage Convention's World Heritage List program, UNESCO established the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This superseded the proclamation program when the convention took effect in 2008.
All the 90 previously proclaimed masterpieces, which would be called elements, were featured as the first entries on the new list.
The process for designating an element for the list follows similar steps as the proclamation. The former role of the jury was supplanted by a new body known as the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In addition, UNESCO established a separate program, the
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which highlights cultural expressions at risk despite efforts of the local community to preserve and protect them. These expressions cannot be expected to survive without immediate safeguarding; UNESCO also established an emergency fund for their preservation.
In 2003, UNESCO drafted the
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which provides an international framework, source of funding, and strategic overview for the further identification and protection of these masterpieces and other intangible cultural heritages. The convention went into force in 2006 and has since been approved by over 130 members.
References
External links
*
{{UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, state=collapsed
Traditions
UNESCO
Cultural heritage
Traditional knowledge