04 Jul 2014

UNESCO to foster, safeguard heritage



1Philipsburg - Public, private and non-governmental culture stakeholders on the island of a diverse range of backgrounds, including performance art, archaeology, history and agriculture, are attending a two-day NAtional Consultation that kicked off at University of St. Marrtin on July 3.

The consultation aims to introduce and sensitise these stakeholders, who are seen as the “movers and shakers” of the implementation, value and potential of Intangible Heritage for a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) project called “Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Saba, and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” that seeks to invest in and protect just that.

 Intangible Cultural Heritage(ICH) committee member Melanie Choisy described the state of St. Maarten’s ICH as “alive, but threatened” in her presentation that highlighted assets such as the Ponum dance, steel pan music and herbal medicine, as well as those trying to keep them alive. She compared the playing of dominos to the forgotten May Pole Dance to stimulate discussion on what carries some traditions onwards, while others are left behind.

 Attendees debated topics such as the perception of the local accent, the diverse range of cultural influences the island has experienced over the decades, the line between preservation and the acceptance of/need for change of tradition, and the dilemma that St. Maarten’s culture can hardly be defined without the French side, which is not included in the project of technical reasons.

 A sense of nostalgia also was apparent as they brainstormed traditions or knowledge nearly lost, such as how to make instruments and bird traps, or use herbal remedies.

 These examples of Intangible Heritage need to be defined with the participation of communities in all of the respective areas.

 The Convention aims to enhance cultural diversity, human creativity, mutual understanding and international cooperation, as well as to safeguard ICH within and by communities in a context of sustainable and mutual respect, involving them in any action concerning their ICH. Institutional and professional environments need to be created as part of a global capacity-building strategy.

2 The consultation is being hosted by the St. Maarten National Commission for UNESCO represented by Marcellia Henry and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean in Jamaica represented by Himalchuli Gurung. It was kicked off by Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Patricia Lourens-Philip and Acting Governor Reunold Groeneveldt.

 As explained by Gytung, the 2003 UNESCO Convention was ratified by the Netherlands in 2012, and 250,000 euros(or US $340,000) has been made available to the project which is now being implemented across the Dutch Caribbean and Suriname. Meetings similar to that in St. Maarten will be held in the other areas until August, followed by a series of joint training sessions on the crucial elements of implementation and inventorying, and field exercise.

THE DAILY HERALD, Friday, July 4, 2014

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