The Elche “Misteri”, one of Spain’s intangible heritage pieces.
Julio García. Madrid
The Palau des Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia, is hosting, since yesterday and until tomorrow, Wednesday, a meeting of twelve experts, called within the framework of the United Nations Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel García Margallo, opened the event, together with the director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs this meeting is part of a series aimed at devising an ethical code for intangible cultural heritage, which will complement the text of the Convention, written in 2003.
During the inaugural event, García-Margallo underscored Spain’s intense participation in the writing of the 2003 Convention, as well as its compromise in its execution through a number of cooperation projects in Latin America and Africa.
Spain is the fourth country worldwide, in terms of the number of items on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The “Misteri” of Elche, the Tribunal de las Aguas de la Huerta in Valencia, the gomero whistle, flamenco or the Mediterranean diet, among others, are important Spanish contributions to the aforementioned list.
Spain is the fourth country in terms of number of items on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity defends local cultural values, within the context of an every day more globalised world, the Minister stated, adding that these values, by their very nature, are especially vulnerable in the world, and as such they need special protection.
In this sense, he recalled the recent and lamentable terrorist acts in the Middle East against places considered the birthplace of civilisation, and against objects and works of arts carriers of an irreplaceable cultural identity. In addition, he thanked the Director General of the UNESCO for the firm initiatives adopted by her organization against that cultural drama.
