Pleading for Intangible Heritage - Traditions and crafts on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Article published on 15-11-2019
The Romanian National Commission for UNESCO organized during October 28th – November 1st, 2019, the subregional educational project “Pleading For Intangible Heritage - Traditions and crafts on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage”, with the support of UNESCO in the framework of the 2018 - 2019 Participation Programme.
The Project aimed to connect and exchange experiences, knowledge and good practices between schools, communities, and authorities on the traditional Wall-Carpet Craftsmanship and the Cultural Practices Associated to the 1st of March. The activities took place in each individual participating school as well as on the field in selected locations, and the final assembly and meeting took place in Bucharest, Romania, between 28 October – 1 November 2019.
The purpose of the Project was to protect and promote the authentic traditions related to these practices among students and teachers, through informal educational programs. The events within the project were attended by teams (project/teacher coordinator and students 12-17 years old) from ASPnet schools in Romania, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.
The meeting in Bucharest was honored with a message from Mrs. Sabine Detzel, International Coordinator of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet).
On the agenda were included a number of activities, of which we mention:
October 28th - Opening Ceremony and Welcome Dinner
October 29th - Conference Pleading For Intangible Heritage - Traditions and crafts on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and research visit to the Museum of the Romanian Peasant
October 30th - Research visit to the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, and study visit to the Dante Alighieri Theoretic High School
October 31st - Research visit to the Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology
November 1st - Opening of the Zestrea Vie Românească/ Romanian Living Dowry Photo Exhibition, and Pleading For Intangible Heritage Project Exhibition
The personal photo exhibition „Romanian Living Dowry” was an event that aimed to promote the most important values of the traditional cultural heritage in Romania among the passionate people, both in Romania and abroad. The photo exhibition presented the most valuable elements of the traditions and customs of the tangible and intangible traditional cultural heritage of Romania (including UNESCO), in a number of more than 90 framed photographic works of art.
The photos in the exhibition were an eloquent fresco of the traditional Romanian identity, including images of popular costumes, traditional Romanian crafts and rural trades, folk crafts, folklore celebrations and manifestations, traditions and customs of Easter, Christmas and New Year, agrarian rituals and customs, folk dances and rituals, Romanian traditions of baptism, wedding and funeral etc. An important place was occupied by the photos dedicated to the great personalities officially declared „Living Human Treasures”, and also the photos of the most representative Romanian traditions and crafts, listed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List.
All these colorful photos, taken at a high artistic level, can be a living mirror of the cultural richness of the Romanian people, and an important vector for increasing cultural tourism and ethnic tourism in Romania.
We thank our project partners: National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum, Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology, “Dante Alighieri” Theoretic High-School Bucharest, Goethe German College Bucharest, “Octav Onicescu” National College Bucharest, Millenium Association, Residence Hotels Bucharest, Romanian Television.
Cristina Butescu Project manager Expert of the Romanian National Commission for UNESCO cnr@cnr-unesco.ro
Iulia Jugănaru Partnerships manager Economic Director of the Romanian National Commission for UNESCO iulia.juganaru@cnr-unesco.ro
