Recognising intangible culture

The Thai Cabinet has given the green light to a proposed bill on cultural heritage that will lay the foundation to preserve and protect so-called intangible culture.

Deputy government spokeswoman, Sunisa Lertpakawat, said earlier this week that the Cabinet approved the bill presented by the Ministry of Culture.

“The bill will protect intangible cultural such as traditions, languages, festivals, handicrafts, art and music,” he said.

According to the plan, each province would have to register its intangible heritage at the Department of Cultural Promotion.

The scheme will now go to the Ministry of Culture which is spearheading the country’s moves to join a United Nations convention that protects intangible cultural heritage. It will propose about 50 icons of Thai culture for recognition.

Earlier, the culture ministry permanent secretary, Prisana Pongtatpitakkul, said legislation would allow Thailand to become a party to the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage overseen by UNESCO.

The list will eventually be narrowed down before being submitted to UNESCO. It will include well-recognised Thai arts such as shadow puppet theatre, sae-pa traditional poetry and likhay.

There are also Thai cultural assets that have already gained global renown including tom yum goong spicy shrimp soup and traditional Thai massage.

According to UNESCO, intangible heritage items are based on tradition or are living expressions inherited from ancestors and passed on to successors.

The organisation’s website says that these include oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts, and even knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.

The Convention was established in 2006 and has been ratified by 149 UN members’ states. In Southeast Asia, only Thailand and Myanmar have yet to become parties to the pact.

To date, UNESCO has listed 31 intangible heritage items as in need of urgent safeguarding, and 257 items as intangible cultural heritage items of humanity.

Sourced: ttrweekly