Inventorying Intangible cultural heritage in Belize for UNESCO

http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/news/Inventorying-of-living-heritage-presses-on-in-Belize-00059

Inventorying of living heritage presses on in Belize

Torito Dance during the tradition of Carnaval, Caledonia Village, Corozal District

© National Institute of Culture and History, Belize

30 September 2013 – Having begun the development of its cultural policy and conducted a workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level, Belize presses on with fundamental steps in the inventorying of its living heritage.

A national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage will assemble various stakeholders including government officials, non-governmental organizations and community practitioners in the Orange Walk district of Belize, from 1 to 9 October 2013, with the primary aim to develop and implement a framework for the inventory of its intangible cultural heritage.

Organized by the National Institute of Culture and History in collaboration with the Belize National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, this workshop is a stepping stone in the safeguarding of the living heritage of Belize. It will focus on community participation in the identification and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, data collection, organization and management, and hands-on experience in preparing field work, to be reinforced with pilot inventories early next year.

Funded by the Government of Japan, the workshop is part of a sub-regional project being implemented in Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago within the context of UNESCO’s global strategy on capacity building to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. It will be facilitated by UNESCO trained experts Harriet Deacon and Kris Rampersad.

Caricom must use UNESCO agreement to leverage Caribbean cultural heritage

CARICOM should take advantage of the current renewal of its memorandum of agreement with UNESCO to review and table collaborations and cooperation that are relevant to the region, heritage educator and consultant Dr Kris Rampersad urged yesterday (Friday).

Speaking at the close of a workshop she co-facilitated in Kingston, Jamaica yesterday, Rampersad said the institutions, communities and NGOs in the region should also take an interest in the negotiations on the MOU to ensure that Caribbean priorities and interests are represented in ways that can bring optimal benefits to our societies.

“In the workshop we addressed several contemporary obstacles and challenges to advancing the process of leveraging the region’s vast cultural heritage resources locally, regionally and internationally, and several mechanisms which CARICOM can itself strengthen, including through using international instruments as the UNESCO conventions and such cooperative mechanisms as the MOU.

“It would be a major oversight if the region signs the draft agreement which is an exact replica of one signed a decade ago between CARICOM and UNESCO without taking into consideration changes in the situation and environment over that period. Participants and institutions should now use this knowledge to inform their government on how CARICOM may be directed to better serve the region’s interests.   It is not enough to just complain about how institutions like CARICOM’s ineffectiveness but to find ways of instructing and informing it on how it can better serve the interests of the countries it represents.”

Caption: Heritage facilitator Kris Rampersad and participant in the workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage Bunny Wailer shows his certificate in Kingston Jamaica

2nd National Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage

BY PROFFICER ⋅ SEPTEMBER 9, 2013 ⋅ POST A COMMENT

Participants in the 8 day workshop

A second national workshop on community based inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is in progress, having been organised by the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica / Jamaica Memory Bank in collaboration with the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean.

The workshop runs from September 4th to 13th at the Hotel Four Seasons in Kingston. The opening ceremony was held on September 4th at 9 a.m.

(L-R) Mr. Robert Parau, Mr. Joseph Pereira, Ms. Anne Marie Bonner and Hon. Lisa Hanna

Funded by the Government of Japan, the workshop is part of a sub-regional project being implemented in Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago within the context of UNESCO’s Global Strategy on capacity building on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

“This is the 10th anniversary of the Convention and I want to commend the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica / Jamaica Memory Bank and UNESCO for spearheading this strategy workshop in Jamaica,” commented Mr. Robert Parau, Officer in Charge at the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean.

Mr. Robert Parau, Officer in Charge of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean gave his address at the opening ceremony

In his address, Counsellor/Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japan Embassy, Mr. Koji Tomita expressed that ICH plays a central role in the Japanese culture and a workshop of this nature is necessary to strengthen Jamaica’s heritage in light of rapid social change and economic stress. He further stated that the workshop will lay the groundwork for future generations and lays the framework to protect our traditions and creativity.

Mr. Tomita also gave his address at the opening ceremony

The workshop is being facilitated by two international experts, Dr. Harriet Deacon and Dr. Kris Rampersad. Focus will be placed on a) community involvement in identifying and inventorying in accordance with/as advocated by the UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage Convention; b) information gathering with communities; c) organising, accessing and updating information in inventories and d) a hands on experience in preparing field work.

http://instituteofjamaica.org.jm/?p=3515

website: https://sites.google.com/site/krisrampersadglobal

Caribbean meet to prepare heritage dossiers

Portal de la Cultura de América Latina y el Caribe

Building Capacities on World Heritage across Caribbean Small Islands

© UNESCO La Habana/ Participantes en el taller Gestión de los recursos culturales del Caribe en un ambiente natural: Sitios de memoria y participación de las comunidades locales

20 March 2013/ UNESCO Havana/Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean The workshop Management of Caribbean cultural resources in a natural environment: Sites of Memory and participation of local communities, trained 20 participants from Barbados, Curaçao, Grenada, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to foster the best involvement of local communities in World Heritage. Released near the Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, World Heritage site in Barbados from 11 to 15 March 2013, the workshop contributed to enhance mechanisms for the participation of local communities in Heritage sites, implementing also an agreement reached in June 2011 on the Caribbean Capacity Building Programme (CCBP), for World Heritage, between the University of the West Indies and UNESCO. The workshop is part of a series organized by UNESCO Offices in Havana and Kingston and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, counting with the support of the Netherlands Funds in Trust, and being delivered in coordination with the Barbados National Commission for UNESCO and The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus. Thanks to the contribution of representatives of the States Parties present at the workshop, 5 cases studies, currently in the tentative list and in progress as nominations dossiers were discussed by the participants. As a referential case it was considered the proposal for the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park BJCMNP (Jamaica) promoting a cross cutting debate with the collaboration of experts representing IUCN and ICOMOS. Participants also explored Caribbean connections with the University of the Netherlands Antilles and other heritage related organizations and appraised several examples during a field trip session. From 24 to 28 March, also organized by Havana and Kingston field offices and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, now under Japan Funds in Trust, another training is to conclude the final segment of the Caribbean Training Course in the Preparation of Nomination Dossiers for World Heritage (started in Kingston last June 2012). The final segment will be developed in St. Mary’s, Antigua & Barbuda analyzing the nomination proposals of 16 Caribbean sites. Specialists from IUCN, ICOMOS and from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre will also participate for the appraisal in situ of the advances in progress for the nomination of The Antigua Naval Dockyard to the World Heritage List. Associated documents: • Concept note for workshop in Barbados • Concept note for workshop in Antigua & Barbuda • Press release for workshop in Antigua & Barbuda For more information about these activities: Himalchuli Gurung, Culture Specialist, UNESCO Kingston h.gurung@unesco.org Victor Marin, CCBP Coordinator, at UNESCO Havana, Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean,v.marin@unesco.org.cu See more on CCBP at: http://www.unesco.lacult.org/proyectos/showitem.php?lg=2&id=27 and also athttp://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/475/