0 com ith/15/10. Com/Decisions Windhoek, December 2015 Original: English/French

DECISION 10.COM 10.a.2

The Committee

1. 
   Takes note that Colombia has nominated Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena region (No. 01095) for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
   

Traditional Vallenato music fuses cultural expressions from northern Colombia, the songs of cow-herders of the Greater Magdalena region and the chants of African slaves with the traditional dance rhythms of the indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. These expressions are also blended with Spanish poetry and musical instruments of European derivation. The lyrics of traditional Vallenato music interpret the world through stories that mix realism and fantasy, expressed through songs that are nostalgic, joyful, sarcastic and humorous. Traditional instruments include a small drum played with the hands, a wooden ribbed stick played with a wire comb, and an accordion. Traditional Vallenato music falls into four main rhythms or beats known as airs, each of which has a distinctive rhythmic pattern. Traditional Vallenato music is performed at Vallenato music festivals and crucially at parrandas where friends and family gather, thus playing a crucial role in building a regional shared identity. It is also transmitted by teaching in formal academic settings. The element faces a number of risks to its viability, however, notably the armed conflict in Colombia fuelled by drug trafficking. In addition, a new wave of Vallenato is marginalizing traditional Vallenato music and diminishing its role in social cohesion. Lastly, the use of street spaces for Vallenato parrandas is declining, removing a crucial space for intergenerational transfer of musical knowledge.

2. 
   Decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria:
   

U.1: Traditional Vallenato music incorporates diverse historical influences, involves a range of specialized practitioners belonging to various social classes and serves as a channel of social communication, thus providing the communities of the Greater Magdalena region with a sense of regional identity, cohesion and continuity;

U.2: The role of the element in conveying topical messages, enabling community reflection on societal complexities and tensions and inculcating a sense of identity and continuity is today threatened by the long-lasting drug trafficking in the region, an internal armed conflict and consequent displacement, poverty and rupture in rural and urban social fabric, the loss of traditional performing venues as well as a lack of appreciation among younger generations for the narrative, testimonial and reflexive aspects of the element; the element’s viability is also threatened by the large commercial boom of the new wave of Vallenato music, which is tailored in line with market demands;

U.3: The safeguarding plan provides a comprehensive description of its strategic action lines and identifies concrete activities for its implementation, aimed at strengthening the transfer of knowledge, the developing of forms of community organization to enable policymaking, the evaluation and control by means of a monitoring committee, among others, to which Colombia is obliged to compliance. The allocated budget, as submitted by the State Party, shows a commitment to employ public funding tied to national taxes and other resources in order to implement the timeline of activities outlined in the existing safeguarding plan, thus ensuring the viability of the urgent measures which aim at improving the sustainability of the element;

U.4: The preparation of the nomination relied on a collaboration between numerous community representatives, researchers, promoters and officials; a large number of documents indicating free, prior and informed consent attest to community participation, though also indicating a predominance of other stakeholders over practitioners;

U.5: Since 2013, the traditional Vallenato music of the Caribbean region has been included in the National Representative List, which is maintained in compliance with Articles 11 and 12 of the Convention; the inventory extract is very informative, in particular regarding the transformation of the element in recent times, the threats it faces and the course of action that may adequately respond to them.

3. 
   Inscribes Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena region on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
   
4. 
   Takes note that the safeguarding plan includes actions that address the immediate emergency situation by strengthening the social function of Vallenato through reinforcing its active and sustainable presence in public spaces, which is an essential instrument for social inclusion and dialogue in the path towards building a peaceful society;
   
5. 
   Commends the State Party for proposing an element that reflects a long-standing dialogue between communities of different descents, along with demonstrating a creative merging of cultural expression and social relevance embodied in the intangible cultural heritage;
   
6. 
   Requests the State Party to provide a detailed and comprehensive report on the budget execution, as well as the corresponding timeline of activities, in its next periodic report, in conformity with paragraphs 160 to 164 of the Operational Directives for the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
   

DECISION 10.COM 10.a.3

The Committee

1. 
   Takes note that Egypt has nominated Traditional hand puppetry (No. 01020) for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
   

Al-Aragoz is an old form of Egyptian theatre that uses traditional hand puppetry. Performances are highly popular events attracting a diverse audience, during which the puppeteer remains hidden inside a small portable stage, while an assistant interacts with the puppets and the crowd. Al-Aragoz takes its name from the main puppet, whose distinctive voice is created with the use of a voice modifier called an Al-amana. Shows explore a variety of themes related to daily life, but a central recurring theme is the struggle against corruption, making Al-Aragoz a vital and contemporary component of Egyptian consciousness and identity. Practitioners must be skilled in manipulating and maintaining the puppets, as well as in improvisation and music. The skills involved are transmitted from master to apprentice and performances constitute the main source of income of practitioners. Once performed throughout Egypt, shows now take place mostly in Cairo under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, with occasional performances organized for schools and family social occasions. The number of surviving practitioners has diminished, and many once-performed stories have disappeared from the repertoire. The lack of professional puppet-makers, the disappearance of traditional venues and folk ceremonies linked to Al-Aragoz performance, and the rise of religious radicalism are also negatively affecting this traditional heritage.

2. 
   Decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria:
   

U.1: Passed on orally in a generational chain from masters to their apprentices, the traditional hand puppetry conveys everlasting and topical messages, including particularly the critique of negative social phenomena such as corruption, thus sustaining social and cultural values; performers and audience interact dynamically throughout the shows;

U.2: The viability of the element is at risk due to changing social, political, legal and cultural circumstances of its enactment, such as laws concerning public gatherings, the rise of religious radicalism and an overall decrease of interest among younger generations, as well as causes specific to the element such as a shortage of documentation, disappearance of certain techniques together with their bearers and the lack of puppet-makers; today’s regular performances are limited to Al-Suhaimi House in Cairo and rely on fewer than ten active practitioners, all of advanced age;

U.5: Since 2013, Aragoz has been included in the inventory of the Egyptian Archives of Folk Life and Folk Traditions; this was accomplished with the participation of concerned individuals and non-governmental organizations, while the Egyptian Society of Folk Tradition and an expert are responsible for maintaining and updating the inventory.

3. 
   Further decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination does not satisfy the following criteria:
   

U.3: The proposed safeguarding plan does not address several of the identified threats, and at the same time incorporates activities that seem unnecessary, unrealistic and/or imbalanced; it would be essential to devise activities that could help strengthen the cultural meanings of the element for its audiences and communities, as well as to clarify how the diversity and creativity characteristic of the element will be retained in the context of the prominence given to formal settings and institutions;

U.4: Although the nomination was elaborated with the participation of various parties including practitioners and stakeholders, it lacks information to demonstrate active participation of a broader community in all stages of the nomination process; the practitioners seem to have served predominantly as informants instead of being more active partners in the process, and the names of six of them who provided their consent are not provided in English or French, thus making it difficult to reconcile the description of the nomination process and the consent documents.

4. 
   Decides not to inscribe Traditional hand puppetry on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and invites the State Party to resubmit the nomination to the Committee for examination during a following cycle;
   
5. 
   Recommends the State Party, if it wishes to resubmit the nomination, to clearly delineate typical audiences and communities that identify themselves with the element, as well as to provide additional information on the practitioners’ attachment to the element beyond revenue generation;
   
6. 
   Further recommends the State Party, in the case of resubmission, to emphasize measures promoting the viability of the oral, improvisatory and interactive character of the element when elaborating the safeguarding plan.
   

DECISION 10.COM 10.a.5

The Committee

1. 
   Takes note that Mongolia has nominated the Coaxing ritual for camels (No. 01061) for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
   

Mongol herders perform the coaxing ritual to encourage a female camel to accept a new-born calf or to adopt an orphan. The mother is tied close to the calf and a singer begins a monotone song accompanied by gestures and chanting. The coaxer changes the melody depending on the mother’s behaviour, which may be initially aggressive, and slowly coaxes her into accepting the calf. Performance of the ritual takes place at dusk or twilight and requires great skill in handling camels, as well as talent for singing and musical skill on the horse head fiddle or flute. Most herdswomen engage in techniques and methods of coaxing, but professional coaxers may be enlisted to undertake the ritual when a singer or musician is unavailable within the local community. The ritual acts as a symbolic medium for creating and maintaining social ties among individual nomadic families and their community. It is transmitted from parents and elders to youth through home tutoring. Changes in the social and cultural environment, however, have negatively affected its viability. Today, motorcycles are preferred to camels as a means of transportation, and increasing migration to urban centres has diminished the number of young herders. The number of cultural bearers is therefore decreasing rapidly as new generations lose touch with their traditional ties to pastoral husbandry.

2. 
   Decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria:
   

U.1: Transmitted orally from elders to youth, the coaxing ritual bears witness to the connection between humans and animals in a pastoral community faced with a harsh climate, and plays a prominent role as a vehicle for educating young people in the nomadic culture and economy, thus providing its community with a sense of identity and continuity;

U.2: Despite the efforts of its community to sustain the element, its viability is threatened by the decline of the nomadic lifestyle, replacement of camels by motorcycles, development of mining industries offering more lucrative employment, separation of children and youth from their families because of schooling, accelerated rural-to-urban migration, and the declining number of musicians and types of musical instruments involved in the enactment of the ritual;

U.3: The safeguarding plan incorporates apprenticeship in coaxing and music-making carried out by the bearers of tradition, in-depth study of the ritual led by a team of scholars, and various activities directed to raising awareness, dissemination and promotion of the element on the local and national levels; the practising community was actively involved in the planning and will take a significant role in both the implementation and monitoring of safeguarding measures, while governmental bodies secure coordination among all interested parties and management of available resources;

U.4: A group of renowned bearers of tradition initiated and was actively involved in the development of the nomination dossier, while other concerned individuals, families and local communities gradually joined the process; numerous and diversified attestations of free, prior and informed consent to the nomination are provided by bearers of the element and heads of local government offices;

U.5: The element is included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which is maintained by the Centre of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia.

3. 
   Inscribes Coaxing ritual for camels on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
   
4. 
   Commends the State Party for the substantial improvements in the file initially submitted in 2011, in particular in terms of stimulating an active participation of bearers and communities concerned in the nomination process and providing a broad range of expressions of their free, prior and informed consent;
   
5. 
   Appreciates the State Party’s support to an element that testifies to the connection between humans and animals and to creativity in a culture faced with accelerated transformation of its socio-ecological system.
   

DECISION 10.COM 10.a.6

The Committee

1. 
   Takes note that Portugal has nominated the Manufacture of cowbells (No. 01065) for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
   

The Portuguese cowbell is an idiophone percussion instrument with a single internal clapper, usually hung on a leather strap around an animal’s neck. It is traditionally used by shepherds to locate and control their livestock, and creates an unmistakable soundscape in rural areas. The cowbells are handmade from iron, which is cold-hammered and folded on an anvil until it is cup-shaped. Small pieces of copper or tin are set around the iron and enveloped in a mixture of clay and straw. The piece is fired, then plunged into cold water for rapid cooling. Finally, the burnt clay is removed, the copper- or tin-covered iron is polished and the tone of the bell is fine-tuned. The technical expertise involved is transmitted within the family from fathers to sons. Alcáçovas in Portugal is the main centre for manufacture of cowbells and its inhabitants take great pride in this heritage. However, this practice is increasingly becoming unsustainable due to recent socioeconomic changes. New grazing methods have largely obviated the need for shepherds and cowbells are increasingly made using cheaper industrial techniques. At present, there are only 11 surviving workshops and 13 cowbell makers, 9 of whom are over 70 years old.

2. 
   Decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria:
   

U.1: The manufacture of cowbells is typically passed down through a patrilineal family line, yet the entire local communities perceive it as a collective cultural heritage that provides them with a sense of identity and historical continuity; in addition to their use by shepherds, the products of cowbell-makers are also used by musical groups and in various festive occasions, and are appreciated as decorative items;

U.2: The practice of cowbell-making is today limited to fewer than ten locations, among which the town of Alcáçovar takes a lead with four active makers; the element is in imminent danger because of the shortage of male children in makers’ families or choice of other professions, as well as the introduction of grazing methods that obviate the need for shepherds and cowbells, increasing changes in the market rules and practices, and industrialization of cowbell-making;

U.3: Taking the significant ongoing efforts of the community of Alcáçovar as a solid foundation, the proposed safeguarding plan responds to the threats identified, incorporates a series of concrete, thoughtfully elaborated activities designed in close collaboration among practitioners of the element, concerned communities and relevant stakeholders during the course of several years, and relies on realistic resources, thus demonstrating a cogent potential to enhance the viability of the element and increase the interest of young people in cowbell-making;

U.4: With the distinctly participatory and collaborative character of the nomination process, this nomination can serve as a model; all remaining bearers of the element and key community institutions provided a broad range of attestations of their free, prior and informed consent to the nomination;

U.5: The element is registered and described in detail in an inventorying catalogue of the Municipality of Viana do Alentejo; the process of inventorying was conducted in compliance with Articles 11 and 12 of the Convention.

3. 
   Inscribes Manufacture of cowbells on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
   
4. 
   Invites the State to take particular heed in ensuring the continuity of cultural meanings of the element for its bearers and the broader community, while avoiding possible unintended consequences of the safeguarding plan such as overuse or decontextualization of the element for tourism purposes.
   

DECISION 10.COM 10.a.7

The Committee

1. 
   Takes note that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has nominated Glasoechko, male two-part singing in Dolni Polog (No. 01104) for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
   

Male two-part singing in Dolni Polog is a traditional form of vocal music, known locally as Glasoechko, which is characteristic to the region. Songs are sung in a polyphonic manner with the drone voice moving contrapuntally in relation to the melodic leading voice, often accompanied by a shepherd’s flute and a bagpipe. Glasoechko is performed spontaneously in groups of two or three, at celebrations, assemblies, weddings, dinner parties and other social gatherings. Performance of this musical heritage constitutes a symbol of cultural identity for the bearers, integrated within a multi-ethnic society. Practitioners of this tradition are prominent and talented individual singers who have acquired their knowledge by imitating the techniques and skills of their predecessors. Male two-part singing in Dolni Polog faces a number of very serious threats to its viability, however. The number of individuals and groups practising and transmitting it is diminishing rapidly due in part to persistent outward migration of its bearers following the civil war conflict in 2001. Younger generations have extremely limited exposure to Glasoechko performances and older generations consider there is insufficient interest to warrant continued transmission. There are no recordings of Glasoechko songs and in its present state the tradition seems to verge on extinction.

2. 
   Decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria:
   

U.1: Transmitted from generation to generation, Glasoechko singing conveys the values, oral history and mythology of people in the Dolni Polog region and provides its community with a sense of identity and continuity;

U.2: Glasoechko faces a set of threats including the unwillingness of the younger generation to invest in mastering a complex tradition, lack of adequate documentation, insufficient funding for awareness-raising measures and out-migration in the wake of recent conflicts;

U.3: The nomination provides sufficient information on the proposed safeguarding plan, which incorporates activities pertaining to transmission, documentation and research, preservation, promotion and revitalization; it was designed in collaboration among the main practitioners, local government, schools and a television station, research and governmental institutions;

U.4: The nomination file and appended evidence of free, prior and informed consent demonstrate an active participation of the few existing musical groups in the nomination process, as well as the contribution and commitment of local community, groups and individuals to spread the knowledge and practice of Glasoechko;

U.5: Glasoechko has been included since 2010 as Exceptional Cultural Heritage in the National Registry of Cultural Heritage maintained by the Ministry of Culture.

3. 
   Inscribes Glasoechko, male two-part singing in Dolni Polog on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
   
4. 
   Commends the State Party for resubmitting this nomination, and for providing additional information as requested;
   
5. 
   Recalls to the State Party the importance of using vocabulary appropriate to the spirit of the Convention and avoiding terms such as ‘authentic’ and ‘pure’.
   

DECISION 10.COM 10.a.8

The Committee

1. 
   Takes note that Uganda has nominated Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoples (No. 00911) for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
   

Koogere was a female chief of Busongora about 1,500 years ago. Oral tradition describes her exceptional wisdom and the prosperity of the chiefdom through a series of narratives, which form part of the collective memory of Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro communities in Kasese. This oral tradition is an essential and inspirational part of social philosophy and folk expression. It encompasses sayings and narrations focusing on images of plenty and abundance as blessings for hard work, highlighting the importance of wisdom and evoking female magic and heroism. Practitioners and custodians of the narratives are traditionally elders, sages, storytellers, poets, musicians, artists and indigenous families living near sites associated with the story. The story is retold and sung informally around the fireplace and during collective activities such as handicrafts, cattle herding and long-distance travel, with skilled older storytellers transmitting the tradition to younger participants. Koogere storytelling thus facilitates shared actions, recreation, wisdom, learning and intergenerational transfer of information, values and skills. However, today there is increasing dominance of formal training and education, while the transmission of knowledge and skills associated with enactment of Koogere oral tradition is informal and spontaneous and thus not adapted to these new methods. Moreover, the use of the language of Koogere story – Runyakitara (Runyoro-Rutooro) is declining. Knowledge of the oral tradition is therefore decreasing rapidly with only four surviving master storytellers able to relate more than one episode of the Koogere story. The frequency of these practice

s is also diminishing, as other entertainment dominates the social spaces associated with enactment and transmission.

2. 
   Decides that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria:
   

U.1: Pertaining to a body of narrations about the wisdom, prosperity, magical power and heroism of a great woman ruler of the ancient empire, the Koogere oral tradition conveys value, belief systems and collective memory; it is mostly enacted and transmitted spontaneously in the context of now-disappearing family evening recreation, during communal grazing, weaving and handcrafting or while traveling in a company;

U.2: Apart from groups that incorporate Koogere-related lyrics in their musical performances, only four aged masters possess broad knowledge of the element and skills required for its enactment; the practice is seriously endangered due to the disappearance of the social contexts where it generally takes place, an increasing separation of education and recreation (contrary to their amalgam embodied in the element), a declining use of indigenous languages and a general loss of understanding and affection for the story;

U.3: The safeguarding plan demonstrates a thought-out procedure of its elaboration, including active involvement of communities, groups, individuals, relevant non-governmental organizations and other parties concerned, resulting in a feasible and sufficient safeguarding plan; the main objective is to integrate the element into contemporary society, including the introduction of new modes of transmission and professionalization of practitioners in order to reach audiences through stage performances; the budget is carefully elaborated and can serve as a model;

U.4: The nomination process involved sensitization of communities concerned about the principles underlying the Convention, their participation in the identification and definition of the element, cooperation with researchers in data gathering, contribution to discussions of threats to the element and elaboration of appropriate safeguarding measures; a wide spectrum of parties concerned with the element and its safeguarding provided their free, prior and informed consent to the nomination;

U.5: Since 2012, the element has been included in the National Inventory, which is drawn up in conformity with Articles 11 and 12 of the Convention, and maintained by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

3. 
   Inscribes Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoples on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
   
4. 
   Recommends the State Party, while implementing the safeguarding plan, to take special care of the sustainability of the social functions and cultural meanings of the element for its communities.