In 1972, when the Convention for the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference, a number of member states expressed interest in safeguarding the intangible heritage. As a result, UNESCO organized several actions in favor of that form of cultural heritage. Subsequently, on the initiative of some Moroccan intellectuals and the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo, the Cultural Heritage Division and the Moroccan National Commission for UNESCO organized an International Consultation on the Preservation of Popular Cultural Spaces, which was held in Marrakesh in June, 1997. It was at that meeting that a new concept of cultural anthropology was defined: the oral heritage of humanity. It was unanimously agreed that an international distinction should be created by UNESCO to draw attention to masterpieces of this form of heritage.
In keeping with the results of that International Consultation, the Moroccan authorities, supported by many member states, submitted a draft resolution that was adopted by the general conference at its 29th session. In November, 1999, the executive board decided to create an international distinction entitled "Proclamation by UNESCO of masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity."
Ⅰ. Oral and intangible heritage
In regard to the cultural heritage, it is almost 30 years since UNESCO began to grant the title of "world heritage" to monuments and sites. At the same time, objects are protected against illicit trafficking by the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The physical cultural heritage, in monumental or other form, is easy to catalogue and seldom subject to change; in the case of monuments, its protection is limited to conservation and upgrading measures and, in the case of cultural objects, to conservation in a museum or similar location to protect them from theft or damage.
Ⅱ. The intangible heritage is harder to circumscribe
While the physical cultural heritage is designed to survive long after the death of the person who produced or commissioned it, the fate of the intangible heritage is much more closely related to its creators as it often depends on oral transmission. For example, a potter who teaches his craft to his apprentice transmits a multitude of details but will never be able to pass on his own talent and his own way of practicing his art. His apprentice, armed with the knowledge transmitted by his master, will possess his own skill which owes much to tradition but is also characteristic of himself and of a particular moment in time.
Ⅲ. UNESCO's action in favour of intangible heritage
As the guardian of cultural heritage, UNESCO seeks to extend that concept by promoting the oral and intangible heritage, in a geographically balanced way. For the last 20 years, UNESCO has been at the forefront of oral and intangible heritage preservation with an international instrument, programmes and publications including:
Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore
(1989);
Living Human Treasures System;
Collection of Traditional Music
of the World;
Handbook for the Collection of Traditional Music and Musical
Instruments;
Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing;
Intergovernmental Conference on African Language Policies.
When the General Conference decided that an international distinction entitled "Proclamation by UNESCO of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" should be created, it reaffirmed UNESCO's commitment to cultural heritage. The new proclamation programme has reinforced strategic objectives in its culture mandate:
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