Recovery of Flamenco Art in Spain through Teaching: The Case of the Escuela Sevillana

This study adopts the field survey method. The purpose of the research is to track the changes of abacus culture and education in the past 12 years, and focuses on the changes in the key three years before and after the inclusion of the Chinese abacus in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity through the resolution by the “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization” (UNESCO) in 2013. Therefore, this study is divided into two stages of time axis: the first stage is from 2013 to 2016, namely the three years after Zhusuan was listed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in which the protection and revitalization of Zhusuan were discussed through field investigation, a questionnaire prepared by the researcher, and in-depth interviews. The second stage is from 2016 to 2019, in which the work reports of representatives of various countries in these three years were interviewed through the network to collect data and discuss the inheritance and dissemination of Zhusuan culture. The research results show that, since 2019, the cultural education of “Zhusuan—knowledge and practices of mathematical calculation through the abacus” has expanded from the Chinese cultural circle to non-Chinese cultural circles, and the cross-cultural education of Zhusuan and cultural and educational industry cover five continents around the world. This not only reflects the role played by the “Belt and Road Initiative” in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, but it also makes the Chinese abacus part of a truly world-class Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. According to the research results, the researcher puts forward three suggestions: 1) from a protection project to education inheritance; 2) from folk customs to cultural regeneration; 3) from the folk economy to social practice.

In this essay, we present a comparative analysis of the UNESCO heritage nomination process for two African Diaspora music and dance forms: samba de roda, from the Bahian Recôncavo (a coastal area of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia), and maloya, from Reunion Island (a former French colony in the Indian Ocean, which is now officially an "overseas department of France"). samba de roda, as the Brazilian candidate, was included in the III Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity, in 2005. And maloya, the French candidate, was inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in 2009. Despite a number of formal commonalities between samba de roda and maloya, such as responsorial singing, choreography, and the main musical instrument types, the controversies raised during their respective processes of nomination were quite distinct. The former is regarded as a traditional and less well known style of samba, the musical genre widely recognized as the musical emblem of Brazil. The latter competes with séga-a genre of popular music consolidated in the local media-for the position of chief musical representative of Reunion Island. The disparate symbolic identities attributed to these musical expressions pave the way for a distinct manner of employing the international resources related to the safeguarding of intangible heritage. This suggests that the local impact of the inclusion onto international lists depends as much on the contextual particularities of each candidacy as on central decision-making bodies such as UNESCO.

The UNESCO Conventions for the Protection of the material World Heritage (1972) and for the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH) (2003) use the listing practice for worldwide identification and global recognition. Listing their ICH on the Representative List (RL) lends prestige to the States Parties and enables economic exploitation. Thematic imbalances and spatial disparities arising from the listing of material heritage have already been discussed and analysed in the scientific literature. After more than a decade and more than 500 inscriptions in the framework of the convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage (ICHC) of 2003, this article will try for the first time to examine which regions and States Parties have so far been able to actively participate in the ICHC through listings. The analysis examines the chronological distribution and growth development in the regions after a current global status analysis of the globally distributed ICH on the RL. A distinction is always made between national and multinational inscriptions, between aggregated frequency and spatial distribution, and between these two possibilities. The aim is to demonstrate the extent to which participation in the sense of ICH sharing is possible in the regions and what implications can be derived from the listing practice to date.

The extension project “Bodily practices in flamenco dance: the relational space of a sensible body” brings the community of Cachoeira do Sul, RS, bases of body awareness, movement, expression and interpretation through the learning and knowledge of flamenco culture and dance. Flamenco has been recognized by UNESCO since 2010 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, being an artistic expression resulting from the composition of the song, musical touch and body movement, being only possible through the understanding of the art as a set of these elements. This composition has as its main objective to narrate a story (present in the song) and to express the feelings that such story brings (for example, sadness, happiness, regret). The project has the participation of the academic community and the general community of Cachoeira do Sul alike, developing expression and body awareness, fighting against sedentary, bringing quality of life to participants, improving posture and self-esteem, proposing challenges and teamwork. The project’s target audience ranges from young people to adults of all genders, proposing interaction and learning between different audiences. Art belongs from everyone to everyone, and the spread of different cultures makes a very positive contribution to the citizen formation.

Hanji is defined as traditional paper manufactured according to Korea's unique manufacturing technology, using mulberry fiber produced in the Korean peninsula as the main ingredient. Although hanji has excellent characteristics such as preservation and durability and has historical and cultural values, it has not yet been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, unlike Chinese traditional paper, Xuan paper, and Japanese traditional paper, Washi. In the case of Xuan paper and Washi, it has already been registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO and is receiving worldwide attention, and efforts are being made to preserve and inherit paper culture. Therefore, it is judged that Hanji culture needs to be listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to promote the excellence of Hanji, which is a unique heritage of Korea, and to preserve and inherit Hanji culture. Therefore, this study attempted to analyze the characteristics of traditional paper in Korea, China, and Japan, and to prove that Hanji also has unique and excellent characteristics different from Xaun paper and Washi. In order to analyze the characteristics of traditional paper in each country, optical characteristics, intensity characteristics, and surface characteristics were measured. Through this study, it is believed that this study can serve as basic data for the registration of Hanji culture as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The article considers the popularization of the masterpieces of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the State Philharmonic of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) within the framework of the concert programs of two international festivals: “UNESCO Masterpieces on the Land of Olonkho” and the Arctic Music Festival “Northern Lights”, as well as the educational activities of this institution, which is an outpost of the concert academic performance in the North-East of the Russian Federation and its Arctic zone. Based on the analysis of activities of the Yakutia Philharmonic to popularize the masterpieces of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, it was concluded that at present attention has been paid mainly to foreign examples of intangible cultural heritage – the music of the Armenian duduk, the music of the Azerbaijani tar, Spanish flamenco, Argentine tango in modern concert forms of their expression. Work to popularize the music of the Yakut olonkho, proclaimed in 2005 as a masterpiece of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, still remains to be done, since due to the special epic nature of the traditional genre, it has not yet been comprehended in the system of symphonic instrumentalism of the European tradition. New studies on this topic by representatives of the Yakut composer schools will make it possible for young performers to search for innovative forms and proper collaborations.

Mediterranean diet as intangible heritage of humanity: 10 years on

Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs: is a form of love singing that reaches the peak of singing techniques, cultural behavior style, language, costumes, social customs and performing arts. Quan Ho folk songs are practiced in cultural and social activities of the community; are preserved and passed down by the community through many generations, becoming the local identity and spreading into a special space. In September 2009, Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs were honored by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. To protect the representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, which is Quan Ho folk songs, the first step is to identify the expressions and forms that can be considered intangible cultural heritage to document and inventory these heritages. At the same time, carry out communication work on those cultural heritages to promote and identify the importance of cultural heritage through the interest of the public and the community. This is a very important task of the press and media in protecting the intangible cultural heritage of each country, ethnic group and each locality, including Bac Ninh province.

Organ craftsmanship and music are inextricably linked with each other. In Germany, a particularly rich symbiosis between craftspeople, composers, and performing artists has evolved over the centuries. In recognizing the transmission of this intangible cultural know-how from generation to generation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed organ craftsmanship and music together in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. This article elucidates how this inscription influences the perception and self-concept of organ craftsmanship and music, both in theoretic-intellectual and in virtual terms. Complementing the qualitative content analysis of literature and documents, narrative first-hand accounts/expert interviews with organ craftspeople/organ builders have been conducted and interpreted. Taking into account a dual nexus of cultural sustainability and intangible cultural heritage, sustainable value creation, substantial claims, multi-perspective visibility, and facilitative reassurance were analyzed and assessedvis-à-visorgan craftsmanship and music. Including organ craftsmanship and music in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity demonstrates an appreciation for sustainable value creation related to the quadruple bottom-line of sustainability – that is, addressing economic, environmental, and societal aspects, including culture as a fully integrated dimension; claims substantial rights for safeguarding and invoking/activating heritage; enhances visibility of performing organists, assigned organ builders, frequent practitioners, and nominated organ experts; and enables reassurance of passion and self-positioning with organ craftsmanship and music.

The inclusion of the Mediterranean diet on the prestigious UNESCO list is a prime example of the recognition of a common heritage shared by four countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, namely Italy, Spain, Greece and Morocco. These countries presented the first Mediterranean diet nomination to UNESCO in 2009. The inclusion of the Mediterranean diet on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity internationally acknowledged the close link between agricultural and food traditions. In addition, the inclusion recognised the connection between cultural heritage and social identity, highlighting how the concept of “culture” can no longer only be tied to a material dimension but instead must be enriched by different elements such as traditional agricultural and food lifestyles. Food practices and rural traditions are particular expressions of the cultural and social identity of the Italian people and of the other countries in the Mediterranean basin. In the near future, other agricultural practices and food traditions can aspire to the same recognition as full-fledged cultural representations in the spirit of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Chhau, a traditional masked dance form of West Bengal has been enlisted as ‘UNESCO- Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2010’. In 2015, UNESCO along with the MSME of Government of West Bengal developed a ‘Rural Craft Hub’ in Chorida village of Purulia district centring Chhau. Consequently, tourism in the area got international and national patronage. This entire phenomenon encouraged the commercialization of the traditional dance and craft form associated with Chhau as a result of heritagization. Unfortunately, the implication of the heritagization happened in a flawed fashion which eventually led to folklorization and institutionalization while compromising their contextual significance. The paper explores how heritagization ensures the sustainability of intangible tradition like Chhau while leading to folklorization and institutionalization of performance and craft. The paper also documents the history and ritualistic significance of Chhau to draw a lucid comparison between the traditional form and the form which is the result of folklorization. The paper establishes that the Heritagization- Folklorization- Institutionalisation are intertwined with each other in the context of Chhau. From the interviews of the tourists and locals associated with Chhau, it is evident that the organization concerned with policy making should keep it in mind that an enormous distortion of craft and performance comes along when the target buyers in the market are alien to the traditional context. In such a scenario, the contextual significance of a craft form can be kept intact if the targeted buyers can be made aware of the contextual and functional relevance of the folkloric element that they are consuming in its modernized version.

The purpose of this paper is to provide baseline data that can be used for inclusion in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of Korea's Hanji culture and to suggest directions for its implementation. To this end, Xuan paper and Washi, which were registered on the Representative List of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009 and 2014, were investigated. The contents of the investigation include the origin, Historicity, raw materials, and manufacturing process of paper making. In addition, prior research was conducted through interviews and field visits. In addition, the origin and historicity of Hanji was verified through ancient documents and relics. And it has been investigated that traditional Hanji’s culture is an intangible cultural heritage that has been maintained, protected, inherited and developed. Finally, the development of traditional Hanji’s culture and the direction to be taken were presented. Therefore, it is expected that this study can be used as a research material for the inclusion of Hanji as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Within the identity processes that nowadays occur in our cultural area, society invests many practical and symbolic significances in the traditional blouse with embroidery on the shoulder, which is the most representative item of the traditional costume. Its high prestige and national value served as motivation for recommending The Art of the traditional blouse with embroidery on the shoulder (altiță) – an element of cultural identity of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The UNESCO perspective on the intangible cultural heritage regards the living state of elements, the responsibility assumed by bearer communities, by state institutions and civil society, offering as well new research visions for the academic communities. The paper proposes an outline of the problems of the domain from this perspective.

The Memory of the World (MoW) Programme aims to preserve and enhance access to and raise awareness of humanity’s documentary heritage. The 1992 MoW Programme is one of three UNESCO initiatives aimed at protecting the world’s cultural heritage alongside the two UNESCO Conventions Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (WHC) of 1972 and the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICHC) of 2003. Using listings to make predominantly cultural heritage visible worldwide is an important measure of all three UNESCO Heritage Programmes, the World Cultural Heritage (WCH), the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), and the Documentary Heritage (DH). The spatial distribution of UNESCO’s tangible and intangible heritage has already been investigated worldwide in academic research. Such an analysis will now be undertaken for the first time for world DH. In addition to a global perspective of spatial DH distribution, differences in the MoW Programme in terms of region and chronological development will be examined. This study aims to show how spatial disparities are visible in UNESCO’s MoW Programme and argues that institutional solutions (Regional and National MoW Committees) and capacity building in preparing nominations for underrepresented countries would create more balance in the MoW Registers.

Similar to tangible cultural heritage, traditional performing arts as intangible cultural heritage of humanity are valuable resources for the development of heritage tourism of a destination. However, there is very little research done in this area, leaving a blurred understanding of how to commodify and promote traditional performing arts as a heritage product. A good knowledge of performing arts heritage is key to commodify and promote it effectively. Cantonese opera is the traditional performing arts of Cantonese speakers in Macao, Hong Kong, and Guangdong Province of China. Its core attractiveness is investigated by exploring and evaluating its intrinsic and experiential attributes from cultural tourists’ perspective. Based on the survey of 500 international tourists, the results have identified five dimensions of intrinsic and experiential attributes of Cantonese opera, including authenticity and nostalgia, artistic craftsmanship, convenient consumption, enjoyment, and cultural significance. The evaluation of these attributes reflects international tourists’ perception of the core attractiveness of Cantonese opera. Moreover, the cultural and geographical distances between international tourists’ residential places and Macao are found to influence tourists’ perception of Cantonese opera significantly. Tourists with longer geographical distances from Macao are found to see Cantonese opera more attractive than those tourists with shorter geographical distances from Macao. The findings suggest some guidelines for the commodification and promotion of Cantonese opera as a tourism product for international tourists with different cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, the results advance the knowledge of the core attractiveness of performing arts heritage and add values to the literature of tourists’ experiences with traditional performing arts as intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The five dimensions of attributes identified in the results also contribute to the future research of different types of performing arts heritage.