Isfahan Invigorates Intangible Cultural Heritage

Tehran, Oct 18, IRNA - The executive secretary of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICCN) 2014, said that there is a direct link between intangible cultural heritage and maintaining friendly ties among states. Masoud Hossein Mirzaei made the statement in an exclusive interview with 'Iran Daily' published Saturday. Elaborating on a question by the daily on how the intangible cultural heritage can promote peace, Mirzaei said that apart from political ties, peaceful communications and mutual understanding among countries are rooted in intangible cultural heritage. Based on studies conducted by cultural bodies, the lifestyle of communities is influenced by intangible cultural heritage. If two communities intend to strengthen their bonds, they should make tenacious efforts to highlight intangible heritage. For instance, cuisines, social conventions, traditional games, oral traditions, skills and cultural values, which are among symbols of intangible heritage, can help nations identify their common potentials and capacities to create lasting peace. Responding to a question on how the objective of the the festival, which sought to value cultural diversity, counter the detrimental impacts of Western cultural onslaught, Mirzaei said: "Globalization is spreading and there are concerns that the new phenomenon will adversely impact cultures. As a result, the culture of superpowers will eclipse that of less developed states. In order to create a hedge against the domination of superpowers, safeguarding cultural diversity is indispensable. The variety of cultures should be held in high regard to tackle cultural invasion. However, this does not imply succumbing to the culture of other nations. In other words, we should develop and exploit our potentials to positively influence other cultures. Unless we manage to do so, our culture will be overshadowed by dominant ones. Unfortunately, we do not seize opportunities and turn a blind eye to our intangible heritage. Polo is a tip of the iceberg. As soon as a country like Azerbaijan inscribes such a valuable heritage under its name, we find out how negligent we have been. If we identify our capacities and those of the world community, other nations will not encroach upon our cultural heritage, he said in reply to a question by the daily on the issue. On what he thinks such festivals will be able to counter Iranophobia spread by detractors of the Islamic Republic, he said, ceremonies like ICCN festival can scuttle plans aimed at tarnishing Iran’s image. Foreign guests can greatly foil the plots against the country by transmitting the peaceful atmosphere and conveying the real facts about Iranians. Heekyung Choi, South Korean secretary-general of ICCN, told me she was afraid to travel to Iran in her first visit as a humanitarian group when an earthquake rocked Bam in 2003. However, in her third trip to Iran, which was concurrent with ICCN’s third festival in Isfahan, she had the opposite view. Not only did she not have any concerns, but she also assured her companions that they would enjoy their stay in Iran—as a country that extends the hand of friendship to the world. On which of Iran’s intangible heritage elements deserve to be inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List, Mirzaei said Iran has applied to inscribe “rainmaking ritual” — a weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke rain — on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List in 2014, while the ancient “wind tower” file was sent to the international body in 2015. Each country can apply to inscribe one intangible heritage at UNESCO every year. The requests must be sent in March for the following year. So, in March 2015, Iran will be able to single out one of its intangible heritage elements for registration in the international body. On what factors does UNESCO regard as necessary to inscribe the intangible heritage of nations, he said that there must be ample evidence and supporting documentation for inscribing an intangible heritage on UNESCO’s list. Historical documents, poems, inscriptions on tablets and ancient coins are needed as proof. Whether intangible heritage affects the propaganda and illegal demands of regional states against Iran, as is the case, for example, of UAE’s claims over Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, he said, despite desperate attempts made by certain Arab nations, the UNESCO has inscribed “building and sailing of lenj vessels” under the name of Persian Gulf. Although such states resort to desperate measures to encroach upon Iran’s rights regarding the Persian Gulf, UNESCO has given a crushing response to their illegal claims. On whether political lobbies influence UNESCO decision-making regarding the registration of intangible cultural heritage, Mirzaei said Iran’s cultural heritage is so rich that it is able to eclipse political lobbies. I am sure “rainmaking ritual”, “wind tower” and Iranian polo will be inscribed on the UNESCO Heritage List. Even though Azerbaijan has registered polo, Iran can also apply to register the ancient sport under its name. In fact, Azerbaijan inscribed polo as “Chovgan”, while the Iranian polo is known as “Chugan”. Responding to the daily's question whether the intangible heritage pertaining Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, before they were separated from Iran, should be regarded as Iran’s cultural heritage or identified with the culture of these states, he said, culture is rooted in conventions, rituals and historical background of nations. It cannot be taken away by states separated from their motherland. Unless these states develop their cultural potentials after their secession from Iran, they cannot gain incredible achievements by exploiting the rich culture of the Persian land. On why no Arab states attended the event, despite the presence of delegates of a significant number of countries at the ICCN’s third festival in Isfahan, he said that it is because Arab states are not members of ICCN. Maybe Arab countries do not care about preserving their intangible cultural heritage. However, Isfahan has held exhibitions in different Arab countries and they have reciprocated the move. Besides, Isfahan has a sister-city accord with Kuwait and culturally interacts with the Persian Gulf state. On how familiar Iranians are with intangible heritage, he said even though Iranians deal with intangible heritage daily, they do not know much about it. For example, people are familiar with lullaby, but they do not know how to sing lullabies to make their kids sleep. Lullaby is among Iran’s intangible heritage, which has been almost forgotten. Also, a significant number of national and local games sank into oblivion, because they need group participation. Such intangible heritage elements have been substituted by computer games and TV programs. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) started an initiative in 2001 to spotlight the intangible cultural heritage. It was aimed at recognizing and protecting various cultures and practices that, unlike items on the UNESCO World Heritage List, cannot be touched. Intangible cultural heritage includes songs, music, dramas, skills, crafts and other parts of culture that can be recorded but cannot be touched and interacted with, without a vehicle for the culture. These cultural vehicles are called “human treasures” by the UN./end