Intangible Heritage

Intangible culture heritage is the mainstay of culture diversity and human creativity. The process of globalization and social transformation have given rise to the phenomena of gross intolerance and rash change; leading to threats, deterioration, disappearance, and destruction of the intangible cultural heritage with paucity of resources confounding the process.

Intangible cultural heritage encompasses a varied set of cultural elements. The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003 has defined such heritage as the “practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. For the purposes of this Convention, consideration will be given solely to such intangible cultural heritage as is compatible with existing international human rights instruments, as well as with the requirements of mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals, and of sustainable development”. 

The intangible culture, as per the Convention, is manifested inter alias in the following domains; 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.

SANKALP has been taking (and participating in) the measures aimed at safeguarding and ensuring the viability of intangible culture heritage; including the identification, preservation, protection, promotion, production, maintenance, enhancement, recreation and transmission of various aspects of such heritage. These activities include education awareness-raising and capacity-building.

While educational programmes on such heritage aim at ensuring the recognition of and respect for the intangible cultural heritage; the awareness-building programmes intend at the general public, particularly the young people to raise the understanding and importance of such heritage at the local, regional and national levels and in ensuring mutual appreciation for such heritage.

The capacity-building activities focus on the measures and methods for safeguarding such heritage its continuous enrichment. The programmes endeavour to ensure the widest possible participation of the communities, groups and individuals. The Organisation has been recognising that intangible culture heritage can be fundamentally safeguarded through creativity and enhancement by the creators, inheritors and practitioners of such heritage. Any loss of intangible culture heritage can only be protected by ensuring that the enabling conditions and skills involved in its creation, expression and transmission can be reproduced.