UNESCO Aims to Protect the Intangible

Since the UNESCO convention was ratified by 30 member states in April 2006, 52 countries have committed themselves to the protection of intangible cultural assets. A 90-point list of these "goods" has been created, which includes languages, oral literary forms like myths and tales, customs, dances, and handcraft skills.

"Moussem," the traditional Moroccan festival with nomadic Berber music and dance, the Patum festival in Spain's Berga and the Japanese marionette theater "Ningyoh Johruri Bunraku" are a few examples of what the convention intends to protect. Even entire cultural areas -- such as the home of the Beduins in the Petra region and Wadi Rum in Jordan -- have been deemed worthy of protection.

Beyond the everyday

"Culture cannot really be placed under protection," said Dr. Gunther Hirschfelder from the folklore department at the University of Bonn. "It has to be given space, but that shouldn't lead to 'folklorization' either."

Space is the very thing that globalization and urbanization are making scarce. But often it is the intangible items that permeate the everyday more than material ones.

"Take cooking, for example," said Hirschfelder. "We don't even know the extent to which skills in this area are being lost. If someone had asked me as a child if I wanted my mom's cooking to be protected, I definitely would have said 'no'. But now I know how valuable these kinds of skills are."

Hirschfelder is currently working on documenting the status quo -- a basic prerequisite for scientific research in Germany, which hasn't ratified the convention yet.

Mass events detract from tradition

"History has shown that people get over the loss of territory, but they don't recover from the loss of cultural content," commented Hirschfelder. And the danger of such loss is often greater than expected.

In addition, tradition in many areas seems to be threatened by "event-ism". During the Rhineland's Carnival festivities, immense differences can be observed between the traditional village celebrations and mass events in big cities like Cologne or Düsseldorf.

It is in connection with customs and traditions that folklorist Hirschfelder sees the best chances for future progress: "There is so much potential in this area to impart knowledge to the young people," he said.

Preventing the take-it-for-granted attitude

Hirschfelder sees the need for action, particularly concerning intangible cultural heritage. He uses Christmas markets as an example:

"Christmas markets now last for 11 weeks. For most people, the real reason for the holiday has become secondary."

Hirschfelder hopes that the UNESCO convention can help prevent other aspects of cultural heritage from losing their deeper meaning.

The participants of the UNESCO conference this week had a challenging task on the agenda: They want to protect something that is constantly changing. To do that, they will need to increase public awareness and spur discussion on the topic.

And, of course, increased financial backing is also necessary to keep the ball rolling. "I hope that resources will be directed toward culture and not away from it," said Hirschfelder.