Friday, December 17, 2021

Bhojpuri Wedding folk traditions inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

Bhojpuri wedding folk songs now on UNESCO Heritage List


The wedding folk songs carried by indentured immigrant labourers from India during British colonialism now find a place on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The tradition was approved this month at the meeting of the intergovernmental committee on intangible cultural heritage through an application by Mauritius for the Bhojpuri songs and the accompanying ritual, prayers, songs, music and dance of the Hindu Wedding Ceremony, Vivaah Samskara. The songs, music and accompanying dances are known as Geet Gawai in Mauritius. Similar traditions are practiced across the Indian diaspora.  These are known as Lawa or Matikor in the Caribbean with widespread practice in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname, and the associated Caribbean diasporas in North America, Canada and Europe. The practices, transposed from India through mass movement of bonded labour in the 19th century, include song, dance, music, cuisine, rituals and communal engagement in the wedding cereomny  
In the nomination submission, Mauritius noted: “Geet-Gawai is a pre-wedding ceremony that combines rituals, prayer, songs, music and dance. It is performed mainly by Bhojpuri-speaking communities in Mauritius who have Indian descent. The traditional practice takes place at the home of the bride or groom and involves female family members and neighbours. It begins with five married women sorting items (turmeric, rice, grass and money) in a piece of cloth while other participants sing songs that honour Hindu gods and goddesses. After the site has been sanctified, the mother of the bride or groom and a drummer honour musical instruments to be played during the ceremony, such as the dholak (a two-headed drum). Uplifting songs are then performed and everyone joins in and dances. Geet-Gawai is an expression of community identity and collective cultural memory. The practice also provides participants with a sense of pride and contributes to greater social cohesion, and breaking class and caste barriers. Knowledge about the practice and its associated skills are transmitted from older to younger generations on an informal and formal basis. This is done via observation and participation by families, semi-formal teaching houses, community centres, and academies. Nowdays, the practice of Geet-Gawai extends to public performances and men also participate.
Last April, the UNESCO Executive Board approved a new international indentured  Indian immigrant labour route initiative, piloted by Mauritius and unanimously supported by all our executive board members.
Hindu Wedding traditions transposed, adapted and evolution from India to the Caribbean are explored in Finding a Place, and LiTTscapes – Landscapes of Fiction from Trinidad and Tobago. Finding a Place locates the role of these practices in the oral traditions that fed the evolution of a literary and journalistic sensibility while adapting to a new society while LiTTscapes present representations of the practices and rituals in fictional literature.
Dr Kris Rampersad is a UNESCO certified heritage expert and has served as Chair of the UNESCO Education Commission; co-chair of UNESCO Executive Board Programme and External Relations Commission, and co-chair of the Consultative Body of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage as an independent cultural heritage expert.



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