TCA Abu Dhabi organises First GCC Heritage and Oral History Forum

Abu Dhabi (WAM): Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, is to host the First GCC Heritage and Oral History Forum to highlight the importance of oral history in preserving the U.A.E.’s cultural heritage, from 14t – 16th September. Forum delegates will explore the storyteller’s role in safeguarding elements of intangible cultural heritage and developing current fieldwork techniques of collecting data through stories told by the elderly and other heritage custodians. The Forum is expected to proposing the setting up of a unified GCC strategy to promote the role of oral history in collecting inventory and will seek to outline the challenges faced by field researchers and stakeholders while highlighting the experiences of some Arab countries in leveraging oral history as a valuable resource. "This initiative by our Intangible Heritage Department will help develop field research methods and enhance researchers’ skills in identifying and collecting date from accurate, reliable sources namely storytellers who are our human treasures," said Dr. Nasser Al Humairi, Director of TCA Abu Dhabi’s Intangible Heritage Department. TCA Abu Dhabi has invited a number of GCC history and heritage university departments, institutions and other entities, as well as academics, experts, researchers, sociologists and historians to the Forum and a dedicated panel has studied and chosen papers to be submitted to the gathering. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395269375563.html