Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Emergencies
Today, at the House of Culture in Belize City, day one of a weeklong workshop on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Emergencies in Small Island Developing States began. Over forty persons already actively working in their communities to preserve culture are being engaged to determine the respective needs of their people at the community level so that in time of national emergencies, they can be adequately assisted. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A brief opening ceremony marked the commencement of a living heritage and disaster risk reduction workshop. It is part of an intraregional project between the Caribbean and the Pacific, where intangible cultural heritage such as oral traditions, folklore, music, traditional knowledge of food or even building a house are properly documented in times of emergencies.
Rolando Cocom
Rolando Cocom, Director, ISCR
“Essentially what we are saying is that communities have knowledge that are passed on mostly through word of mouth, but also through practices from generation to generation. And in order for that continuity to be there, there has to be that enabling environment. And that is the role of ISCR and that is the role of NICH to support communities that are documenting that are passing on these traditions from generation to generation. We know that there are some challenges and we know that climate change, we know that disasters are one of those challenges or threats to intangible cultural heritage.”
So, over the next few days, the participants will be engage in a learning process to devise a set of recommendations for what is needed from these cultural communities in times of emergencies. And these emergencies are not limited to disasters. National Emergency Coordinator, Retired Major Daniel Mendez says it’s about ensuring that the response adequately meets the needs of a community from a cultural perspective.
Daniel Mendez
(Ret’d) Captain Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator, NEMO
“Emergencies are not only hurricanes. Emergency really looks at the entire range, spectrum of risks that we have to consider including fire, floods, hurricanes, droughts, anything you can think about. It is really important to think about how you can incorporate how can we use the knowledge that is already existing in communities, which is embedded in culture. So how can we as NEMO listen to people, work alongside communities in order to make sure that we are truly bringing culturally-appropriate assistance to communities.”
Rolando Cocom
“Assessing the impact, we can quickly remember COVID-19 and everybody were rushing for the tea, the vervine. Everybody wanted to know what traditional knowledge exists for us to heel ourselves from this new virus and it took a while for us to grapple with that situation and we were locked away in our homes for extensive period. People rely on culture to move ahead to build some level of security and peace. That is the role of culture as well in times of recovery.”
The foundation has already been laid and the purpose of living heritage is to help to prepare and build resilience and recovery from a disaster. UNESCO Global Facilitator to Belize, Nigel Encalada speaks to the takeaway from the workshop.
Nigel Encalada
Nigel Encalada, UNESCO Global Facilitator to Belize
“You take an inventory just like how you inventory buildings and other items, you inventory your intangible heritage. So one of the goals is if people have to move, the culture moves with them. Even states and communities can be places that accommodate for that. So this is how culture should be viewed. It is not a thing about suppressing how people live and view the world and experience the world, but trying to facilitate how people interact with the environment in terms of how they know how.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
