UNESCO List of Intangible cultural heritage

The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage was established by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to ensure better protection of important and major intangible cultural heritages worldwide, and to highlight their significance.

Key Points for UPSC Prelims

• The list was established in the year 2008, after the ‘Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’ came into effect.
• The ‘Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’ publishes the list.
• It consists of two lists namely the ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ and the ‘List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding’.
• The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes cultural expressions and practices which illustrate the diversity of the heritage and creates awareness about its importance.
• The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding includes cultural elements that require urgent measures for keeping them alive.

Singapore’s foodie hawker culture gets UNESCO recognition

This year, UNESCO has included 3 elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and added 29 elements in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, including the Hawker culture of Singapore.

Singapore has a heritage of communal dining at hawker centres. Singapore’s hawker centres were set up in the 1970s to house former street vendors, or hawkers with an aim to clean the island as well as to provide a social setting, serve a variety of cheap, no-frills dishes to locals.

Inclusion of the hawker culture of Singapore in the list has come almost after 2 years of submission of the bid by the country.

Other recognitions

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding- Colombia’s Traditional knowledge and techniques associated with Pasto Varnish mopa-mopa of Putumayo and Nariño; Namibia’s Aixan/Gana/Ob#ANS TSI //Khasigu, ancestral musical sound knowledge and skills; and Egypt’s Handmade weaving in Upper Egypt (Sa’eed).

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity- Zambia’s Budima dance, Argentina’s Chamamé, Tunisia’s Charfia fishing in the Kerkennah Islands, China’s Taijiquan, etc.