The Cultural Development Foundation is partnering with key stakeholders to undertake a capacity development workshop in-line with the UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy on safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage from March 25 to 29, 2019.
The workshop, which is jointly organized by the Government of Saint Lucia represented by the Ministry of Tourism, Information, Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries, Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development, the Saint Lucia National Commission for UNESCO and the Cultural Development Foundation, seeks to build and reinforce the capacities of participant organizations for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level and to contribute effectively to the promotion of and conclusive appreciation for Saint Lucia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (practices), in order that these practices may be properly processed, preserved and appreciated.
It is the first time for Saint Lucia to receive capacity-building training under the framework of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage since the country ratified the Convention in 2007.
One UNESCO-accredited facilitator, Mr. David St. Michael Brown from Jamaica, will deliver lectures on basic concepts of the Convention, implementation obligation and inventorying steps. In addition, the trainees will be divided into three groups to conduct a one-day fieldwork to Canaries and Choiseul on skills of traditional practices. With the help of the facilitator and community representatives, trainees will interview inheritors and practitioners of Cassava farine making and traditional pottery craft and are expected to, by audio recording and photographs, record the history, recent development, distinguishing features and inheritance conditions of the ICH elements. The large number of pictures, audio and video data, to the Cultural Development Foundation is an important source of information on the development of the country’s ICH inventorying in the future.
Trainees, including cultural officials, experts, practitioners and NGO representatives from ICH fields in Saint Lucia, are expected to gather for the workshop at the CDF’s conference-room, Barnard Hill, Castries.
INFORMATION ON THE 2003 CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage proposes five broad ‘domains’ in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested:
• Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;
• Performing arts;
• Social practices, rituals and festive events;
• Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
• Traditional craftsmanship.
Saint Lucia became a signatory to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in January 2007 and was one of the first Caribbean island states to ratify this convention.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CONVENTION
Article 1 of the Convention mentions as its objectives:
(a) to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage;
This is the main objective of the Convention, as is evident from its title.
(b) to ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned;
Negative attitudes, especially when expressed by more powerful social groups or the authorities, can restrict the continued enactment and transmission of intangible heritage.
(c) to raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof;
The Convention promotes acknowledgement and appreciation of cultural diversity not only between States but also – especially – within States.
(d) to provide for international cooperation and assistance.
Because the Convention’s approach is relatively new, much work remains to be done in developing methodologies (e.g. for ICH safeguarding) and sharing good practices. States Parties will benefit from assisting each other, providing expertise and information and sharing experiences about safeguarding their ICH. They may also profit from financial assistance granted by the Committee from the ICH Fund.
In order to achieve these objectives, two Lists and a Register of Good Safeguarding Practices have been established under the Convention. States Parties may nominate elements for inscription on the Lists; they may also nominate safeguarding practices and other experiences in implementing the Convention for selection on the Register.
OBLIGATIONS OF STATES PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION
By ratifying the Convention, States accept various obligations and they agree to undertake (or to endeavour to undertake) various tasks in pursuit of the aims of the Convention.
The main obligation of States Parties is to take measures to safeguard the ICH present in their territory in general and to allow, encourage and assist communities in safeguarding specific elements of their ICH:
Article 11: Each State Party shall: (a) take the necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of the ICH present in its territory …
Article 15: Within the framework of its safeguarding activities … each State Party shall endeavour to ensure the widest possible participation of communities, groups and, where appropriate, individuals … and to involve them actively in its management.
States Parties must also identify and inventory the ICH present in their territory, with the full involvement of the communities concerned:
Article 11: Each State Party shall: … (b) …identify and define the various elements of the intangible cultural heritage present in its territory, with the participation of communities, groups and relevant non-governmental organizations.
Article 12.1: To ensure identification with a view to safeguarding, each State Party shall draw up, in a manner geared to its own situation, one or more inventories of the intangible cultural heritage present in its territory. These inventories shall be regularly updated.
States Parties also have administrative and financial obligations:
Article 26.1: … States Parties … undertake to pay into the Fund … a contribution …
Article 29: The States Parties shall submit to the Committee … reports on the … measures taken for the implementation of this Convention. (Emphasis added.)
Three ODs (OD 24, 81 and 82) also impose obligations on States Parties through the use of the term ‘shall’; various obligations for the Committee are also contained in the ODs.
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