59th Communities Key to Protecting Intangible Heritage
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Five Korean intangible properties were designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity at the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates last month.
The five are ``Ganggangsullae,'' (a combination of songs and dances for women dressed in traditional Korean attire); ``Namsadongnori'' (acrobatics, singing, dancing and circus performances by itinerant males for poor farmers and the public); ``Yeongsanjae'' (a Buddhist ritual for the dead); ``Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut'' (traditional dances to celebrate the harvest on Jeju Island); and ``Cheoyongmu'' (an iconic traditional Korean dance based on a son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea).
The inscription draws a fresh spotlight on Korean intangible heritages both at home and abroad and looks at viable ways of keeping them alive by involving communities, creating jobs and exporting good practices.
``The intangible cultural heritage of Koreans, like the intangible heritage of communities around the globe, is precious to them. Each community or nation's intangible cultural heritage is also of general interest to humanity … The Representative List, on which these five Korean elements have been inscribed, is an important mechanism to promote general understanding of intangible heritage and to encourage dialogue between communities,'' Cecile Duvelle, chief of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section at the UNESCO, said in an email interview with The Korea Times.
The intangible cultural heritage is defined as the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated with what communities, groups, and in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.
But it has not been long that these heritages began being recognized for international preservations.
Many years after the organization's 1972 World Heritage Convention focusing on protection of ``world heritage site status,'' UNESCO came up with measures and implementations at the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The 2003 Convention is first and foremost about safeguarding the heritage, putting top priority on promoting universal ratification of the convention, which provides a general framework for safeguarding intangible heritage worldwide.
``Such safeguarding measures are not intended to preserve the element in some frozen, unchanging form, but to ensure that its changes are decided by the communities themselves … Change is part of the very definition of intangible heritage, but that change should be controlled by the communities who are the owners of that heritage,'' said Duvelle.
She said that the listed heritages were likely to receive increased attention from their own communities and others. That is why one of the criteria for listing requires that the nomination include measures to safeguard the element, including especially measures that might be necessary to mitigate any harm that might result from listing and the greatly increased attention it might bring.
``What is especially important about the definition of intangible heritage is that it is the communities that identify and define what their intangible heritage is and this heritage is constantly recreated,'' she said.
Why is the intangible heritage so important in modern times? The importance is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through them from one generation to the next.
Duvelle explained that the social and economic value of this transmission is relevant for minority groups and for mainstream social groups within a state, and is as important for developing states as for developed ones.
``Intangible heritage is important because it provides communities and groups with a sense of identity and continuity, promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. As a mainspring of cultural diversity, intangible heritage also contributes to sustainable development,'' said Duvelle.
``It is important to keep in mind that the protagonist of safeguarding intangible heritage is first and foremost the communities … because no matter how much effort may be mobilized for safeguarding, if concerned communities stop practicing their intangible heritage, it is destined to die,'' she added.
But the fast-changing modern society is posing a threat to these traditions. Duvelle said that one of the threats is the lack of interest on the part of the young people.
``Survival of intangible heritage depends on the continued practice of it by the communities, and if young people do not inherit this heritage, it will end up being abandoned and disappear.''
There is no contradiction between modernity and tradition, Duvelle said.
``The people who practice intangible cultural heritage expressions, skills and knowledge are also using mobile telephones and surfing the Internet. Safeguarding intangible heritage does not mean going against modernity. We are interested in safeguarding intangible heritage because this heritage is important to its practicing communities as they make their own ways in a rapidly changing world,'' she added.
Duvelle emphasized that it is important to remember that intangible heritage is always recreated imbued with new meaning.
Then, is there any best system to preserve the living heritages? Duvelle said that each heritage is unique, requiring different safeguarding measures. Each state therefore devises a system that suits the intangible heritage of its people.
``It is interesting to see how the Republic of Korea, China and Japan have been engaged in cultural borrowing over the centuries as demonstrated by some common intangible heritage such as calligraphy which is practiced among all three countries. Measures for safeguarding calligraphy in China could help the Republic of Korea and China to consolidate their practice of calligraphy and vice versa,'' she said.
Duvelle hopes that those countries that have common or similar heritage will share their experiences to find culturally appropriate ways to safeguard them, because such cooperation will lead to greater international cooperation and rapprochement of cultures.