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performing arts
ICH Materials 223
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Virtual K-Culture: Promotion of Korean Culture During COVID-19Normally, the summer season is a busy time for the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. KCCs are a global initiative that were started in 2009 by the Korean Culture and Information Service, a subdivision of South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. As of this moment, there are 32 KCCs in 27 countries. The KCC in Canada was created in 2016 under the jurisdiction of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Canada and its mandate is “to enhance Korea-Canada relations by promoting mutual understanding between Koreans and Canadians through the sharing of Korean culture, and facilitating bilateral cooperation between arts and cultural institutions.” The KCC does this through a number of engaging and interactive cultural activities which include exhibitions, performances, film screenings, festivals, cultural/language classes and outreach programs. This all had to be put on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the temporary closure of a number of cultural institutions around the world, including the KCC in Canada.\n\nHowever, the KCC has managed to find a way to continue to deliver their programming. According to Mr. Jung Joon Rhee, Public Relations Coordinator to the KCC and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the KCC shifted its activities online and created “Virtual K-Culture”.\n\n“We launched the ‘Virtual K-Culture’ initiative to bring light to the variety of digital cultural content produced by our partner institutions in Korea, and provide Canadians an opportunity to experience Korean culture from the comfort of their homes,” says Mr Jung Joon Rhee.\n\nVirtual K-Culture includes a combination of their longstanding initiatives such as the promotion of K-Cinema as well as new content. There are three components to the Virtual K-Culture series: audio-visual, participatory and educational.\n\nThe audio-visual content is focused on videos that showcase Korean culture such as art exhibitions and performances as well as film screenings.\n\nThe participatory content requires the contribution of the audience, for example, in the form of K-pop cover dances, which are then used by the KCC to produce compilation videos. Another example of the participatory content are food “webtoons” (a digital comic format that originated in South Korea) that teach the audience how to cook different Korean food while talking about the cultural history of the dish.\n\nThe educational content is aimed at enhancing people’s knowledge about Korea and Korean culture through such means as Korean language learning resources and hosting online Korean culture workshops.\n\nThe shift to virtual content was quite natural for the KCC.\n\n“We already had those digital channels to complement our offline activities prior to COVID-19, so it was just a matter of searching for content and items and executing them with our audiences in mind,” says Mr. Jung Joon Rhee.\n\nAs a global leader in the field of ICT (information and communication technology), South Korea is one of the most digitally connected nations in the world with nearly every household having high-speed Internet access. South Korea’s success with ICT is due to their government’s policies aimed at promoting the use of digital technologies as well as Koreans’ enthusiastic response to them. South Koreans have a “balli balli” (meaning hurry up/faster in Korean) approach to life which also transcends to their use of technology as the majority of people are known to be early adopters of new digital technologies and services.\n\nTherefore, it is no surprise that along with the KCC, other cultural institutions in South Korea have transferred their programming online. One notable example is the National Gugak Center (located in Seoul). The National Gugak Center is focused on promoting traditional Korean music and dance by offering classes and showcasing performances. With the Center being closed due to COVID-19 and all performances currently cancelled, the organization has started to host concerts on their YouTube channel.\n\nAs the future surrounding COVID-19 remains uncertain, the KCC in Canada is planning on prioritizing their digital outreach as they look for new ways to allow people to experience Korean culture while adhering to the regulations concerning COVID-19.\n\nPhoto : VKC Logo © VKZYear2020NationSouth Korea
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Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery: Singapore’s First ICH Community GalleryNestled in the cultural heartland of Singapore’s Chinatown, the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery is Singapore’s first community gallery that showcases different aspects of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of the Chinese community as well as ICH elements practiced by the arts and cultural groups located in Kreta Ayer.\n\nCovering a gallery space of 1,076 square feet (100 square meters), the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery was co-curated by the National Heritage Board in partnership with the Kreta Ayer Community Centre and officially launched on 14 July 2019. The gallery features a total of 123 artifacts, of which 68 are on loan from the community and/or arts and cultural groups operating in Chinatown.\n\nThe gallery is made up of five sections covering five ICH elements comprising Chinese opera, Chinese puppetry, Nanyin music, Chinese calligraphy, and tea appreciation. It introduces visitors to the history of the precinct and showcases the aforementioned ICH elements while tracing their evolution from the days of old Chinatown to contemporary times.\n\nThe first section on Chinese opera traces its popularity as a form of local live entertainment between the late 1800s and the 1930s and showcases the different elements of the form including costumes, music, and characters. It also covers opera houses that used to operate in Chinatown and the characteristics of different types of opera according to dialects.\n\nThe second section on Chinese puppetry explores the roots of the art form and focuses on the common types of puppetry practiced in Singapore, including hokkien glove puppetry, teochew iron-stick puppetry, hainanese rod puppetry, and henghua string puppetry. The section also features a mock-up stage where puppetry performances are given, and visitors can try their hand at operating stringed puppets.\n\nThe third section on nanyin music, meaning “music of the south,” traces the origins of the art form and features nanyin performances, instruments, and musical scores on loan from Siong Leng Musical Association. It also showcases different genres of nanyin music such as Fujian nanyin and Cantonese naam-yam.\n\nThe fourth section on Chinese calligraphy focuses on the roots of Chinese calligraphy and the Chinese calligraphy scene in Singapore. It also features the first generation of calligraphers in Singapore and explores how the cultural art form is still practiced in schools, community centers, and cultural institutions today.\n\nThe final section on tea appreciation explores the long history of Chinese tea, the establishment of tea houses and the act of brewing and drinking tea as a cultural art form. It also looks at the different types of Chinese tea and how they are typically paired with different types of cuisine.\n\nThe gallery also features interactive components that allows visitors to experience the different ICH elements on show. These components include a puppetry stage where visitors can test their skills as puppeteers, multimedia stations that allow visitors to experience playing nanyin instruments, and a Chinese calligraphy station that allows visitors to practice their calligraphy using “invisible ink.”\n\nFollowing its official opening, NHB and Kreta Ayer Community Centre is partnering with various arts and cultural groups in Chinatown to present regular programs, including Chinese opera, Chinese puppetry, and Nanyin music performances and workshops as well as calligraphy and tea appreciation classes for students and members of the public to promote greater awareness of these ICH elements and, where possible, facilitate the transmission of skills.\n\nWith the opening of the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery, NHB hopes to showcase the richness and diversity of the Chinese community’s “living” ICH, provide a platform for ICH practitioners and groups to showcase their skills, and create more opportunities to collaborate with community partners to showcase the heritage of specific precincts or estates as well as the history and heritage of different ethnic communities.\n\nPhoto : An interior shot of the new Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery ⓒ National Heritage Board, SingaporeYear2019NationSingapore
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Inspire Tasmania: A Matter of Cultural Sustainable DevelopmentThe Migrant Resource Centre Inc. (MRC) in Southern Tasmania has launched Inspire, an innovative and vibrant program connecting Tasmanian performing artists to a broader community. The project’s website introduces a range of artists—migrants and refugees alike—bringing multicultural creative practices to the fore. They are talented individuals and groups of musicians, dancers, and public speakers who have been selected for their exceptional cultural skills and their ability to deliver professional performances in a range of settings. Tasmanian Chinese Community, for example, can present 56 different Chinese ethnic performances incorporated with traditional Chinese instruments. The Neeraalaya School of Dance is Tasmania’s premier Bharatanatyam dance troupe while Shuang Zhang is a conservatorium trained Chinese opera singer and dancer.\n\nInspire is funded by the Tasmanian government, Department of State Growth, while its website receives funding from the Tasmanian government, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Communities, Sport and Recreation. On its website, the performing artists are shown with a brief introduction about their own stories and expertise.1. The public can access the site and request performer(s) accordingly.\n\nThe performing artists get every opportunity to showcase their talents; in return, already-existing communities can experience their distinct performance for free. They say it is generating “common benefit and mutual prosperity.” MRC is not just giving the performing artists an online platform but more importantly it is helping them receive appropriate professional training to further refine their competence. Also, bi-cultural workers and volunteers have supported Inspire participants throughout the program. It is expected that this project can contribute to settle cultural sustainable development in Tasmania.\n\nPhoto : Karen Choir Hobart - The Karen people are a culturally and linguistically diverse ethnic groupYear2017NationAustralia
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Puppeteers of Muragachha Colony: Relearning Art, Performing Bengali TraditionA puppet festival is a public-driven performance of tradition in Muragachha Colony in the Nadia District of West Bengal, about 120 km from Kolkata. It is organized by the local people under the aegis of Banglanatak dot com, a social welfare organization. Muragachha Colony, and its neighboring village, Borboria, are home to puppeteer families who have not only plied their craft across Bengal but also traveled to many fairs and festivals across India. Masters in string puppetry, or suto putul as it is known in Bengal, they are trying their best to preserve this traditional folk theater, often referred to as putul natok or putul nach in Bengal, against stiff competition with electronic media and modern forms of amusement.\n\nMost puppeteers in these areas trace their roots to Khulna and Barishal in Bangladesh; their practice of string puppetry originated from the Kathputli of Rajasthan. According to veteran puppeteers, however, they are facing challenges as the younger generation is not keen on pursuing a life of puppetry—typically a family-driven profession—due to dwindling income.\n\nConventionally, the puppeteers travel all over the Bengal region between Durga Puja at the beginning of summer, performing at various fairs, festivals, and household functions with their portable stage and dolls. A puppet head is usually made of sholapith, a mold-able milky-white spongy plant matter, which is then painted with facial expressions that require the delicate touch of a master. Designing and tailoring the colorful and intricate puppet garments are also important.\n\nBanglanatak dot com has been working with the puppeteers for the past few years, training them to create a script and a more contemporary, more relevant stagecraft; their intervention is chiefly to provide support to revitalize Bengali puppetry in a workshop setting. This activity helps not only to discover the cultural dimensions of entertainment but also to understand the ways in which puppetry can be a tool to disseminate cultural knowledge. A writer, narrator, musicians, puppeteers, and skillful assistants work together as a team to prepare the puppet festival.\n\nWith support from the West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board (WBKVIB) and Rural Craft Cultural Hub—an initiative of West Bengal government’s Department of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise & Textiles (MSME&T)—in association with UNESCO, the puppet festival, Putul Naach Mela, was held for the first time from 15 to 17 December 2017 at Muragachha Colony Primary School to spread awareness about the suto putul of Bengal.\n\nPhoto : Putul against a wall between showings © Banglanatak dot comYear2018NationIndia
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Appreciating the Traditional Music of the Maldives through Bodu BeruBodu beru (literally “big drum”) is the most popular and one of the oldest surviving forms of music and dance in the Maldives. The tradition is thought to have been brought to the Maldives by African slaves in the nineteenth century. Some people also believe that it evolved as an alternative to eleventh-century court music.\n\nBodu beru is usually performed by a group of fifteen to twenty people—composed of at least a lead singer and three drummers. Goat skin is commonly used as the drum’s membrane and the wood of coconut palm as the drum’s barrel; stingray skin is also used as a substitute for goat skin. The beat is hammered out with bare hands in a slow tempo, building up into a crescendo. This intensity continues before reaching an abrupt end. The song accompanying this drumming is called baburu lava or negro song. In the olden days, the lyrics were a meaningless combination of local and African words usually sung after a hard day’s work.\n\nNowadays, songs sung with bodu beru accompaniment are written in Dhivehi, the local Maldivian language. During musical shows, performers render a dance called baburu neshun or negro dance while wearing a sarong and white short-sleeved shirt. Bodu beru is popular at weddings, Eid occasions, and events held in relation to the circumcision of young boys. Also, with many tourist resorts realizing the commercial benefit of a relatively inexpensive cultural activity for their tourists, many bodu beru groups have been formed to perform in resorts. A current and more commercial revival has been led through an annual reality show/competition known as Boduberu Challenge. Some videos of the program are available here.\n\nPhoto : Bodu beru performance by young practitioners CCBY2.0 Shafiu HussainYear2017NationMaldives
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ICHCAP ICH Video Documentary Series #6: Traditional Igal Dance in the PhilippinesIgal is a fast but gentle dance that is shared by the Sama people of Tawi-Tawi Island, located in the southernmost part of the Philippines, and the people of the western provinces of Mindanao. Igal is called Pangalay in Tausug and Pamansak in Yakan, all meaning ‘dance’.\n\nIgal has no specific choreography and is improvised without repeated movements. It is also rooted in the form of worship performed with the body. It expresses the ecstasy that accompanies the tauhid, that is, the manifestation of a divine being, and tries to become one with nature through dance and get closer to God. Igal is a dance of the moment. Basically, there is no song, and it proceeds in smooth and soft movements according to the sound of traditional instruments, and this music is an important element that inspires the dancer’s movements. While other dances move faster in proportion to the beat of music, the Igal dance moves slower as the music speeds up. Also, when performing the Igal dance, an ornament called Janggay is worn on the fingers, which maximizes the movement of the fingers to add elegance and artistry. The characteristic of dancing is to not stop moving the hands until the end of the dance, and to avoid excessive body movements.\n\nThe Igal dance is an important element that expresses the cultural identity of the Sama people, and it has inspired modern dance and contemporary art creations in the Philippines. In the Simunul region, local festival dances were created based on the Igal dance, and this phenomenon is an important part of the life of today’s generation, and it is an important example of vitality and reinvention handed down to tomorrow’s generation.\n\nThe Igal dance:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eViUTF7id68&list=PLXen1g2tAaHDVurZGxieuywxmvMjFfgPZ\n\nThis traditional Igal dance of the Philippines video is one of the 10 ICH video Documentary Series, which is the result of the collaborative project between ICHCAP and National Commission for Culture and the Arts(NCCA) in the Philippines. Both organizations aim to raise visibility and strengthen the public’s access to ICH in the Philippines through this project.\n\nVideos represent the most accurate method of capturing ICH as it exists in the real world, as well as being effective tools for communicating with the public. ICHCAP will endeavor to continue vividly documenting the scenes of ICH that are hidden across the Asia-Pacific region with the aim of raising the profile of ICH elements as treasures of humanity and introducing them to the public.\n\nPlease refer to the brochure for more information on the Philippines ICH video documentary.\n\nPicture 1~6: Traditional Igal Dance in the Philippines © ICHCAPYear2022NationPhilippines
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Communities taking their deity back to where it belongsOn 4th December 2021, the locals of Patko locality in Patan were busy decorating temple of LaxmiNarayan and arranging materials for the rituals from early morning. This was not any ordinary Saturday or ritual. Many people have never seen this kind of event. On this day the original statue of LaxmiNarayan – an androgynous statue, was going to be reinstated in its temple after nearly forty years.\n\nThis statue was stolen in 1984 and was found in the Dallas Museum of Arts. With the help of the activists, diplomats, Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign the return of this statue to Nepal and then back to the community was possible. Many statues and artifacts from the temples have been stolen from Nepal, which still continues till date. But this kind of getting back of the statue to where it belonged with this fanfare and media coverage was a first one. Even the stolen objects get back to the country then it was a normal procedure to keep that in the museum for safekeeping.\n\nWhen the statue of LaxmiNarayan was stolen, the custodians of the temple made a replica of it and stated to worship a new one. Many people didn’t even have the memory of the original ones. Some of then could not just understand why the jwelleries of the deity does not perfect fit. The original statue was returned on a palanquin with music from the Patan Museum to the temple. The custodians of the temple performed rituals to statue and welcomed back to its place. Then during the rituals the jewelries perfectly fit the real statue.\n\nFollowing the example of LaxmiNarayan statue, another statue of deity Padmapani Lokeshwor was returned to the Monastery in Naxal of Kathmandu. The heritage activist found the location of this statue that has been missing from the monastery for several years. This statue has been with the Chhauni Museum in Kathmandu.\n\nThe locals and heritage activists took back this statue to the Monastery in a carriage followed by traditional music and gurju ya paltan (traditional army band). The carriage was followed by the procession of people in traditional attire. On that monastery also the elaborate rituals were performed to welcome back the deity.\n\nIn 1980 from the stone fountain of Tanga Hiti in Patan, a statue of UmaMahesheshor.\n\nThis statue was returned back to Nepal by New York Metropolitan Museum on 2018 August. As many other stolen statues which were found and returned back were kept in the Museum, this one was with Chhauni Museum. This statue was also taken back to the place where it belonged on 7th February 2022. The locals went to bring back their deity with fanfare as in the other statues.\n\nHeritage in Nepal is a living heritage where people have everyday connection with temples, squares, platforms and waterspouts in form rituals, festivities, dances and music. When the statues or artifacts get stolen, they are not stealing the objects but also the rituals and sentiments associated with it. Finally, it seem the statues are slowly returning back to the place where it belonged in Nepal. The excitements and joy could be seen in the face of people when the statues were placed back the original place.\n\nWhen the communities are now able to take back their statues, so more statues will be going in future. So it has became urgent that the government prepare a proper guidelines on reinstalling of the statues and artifacts, as well as safety and integrity of objects.\n\nphoto 1 : Community members of the temple performing the rituals to welcome back in the stolen statue in the temple of LaxmiNarayan. © Monalisa Maharjan\nphoto 2 : Statue of UmaMaheshwor after installing it in Tanga Hiti. © Monalisa Maharjan\nphoto 3 : Locals worshipping the statue of LaxmiNarayan after reinstalling in its temple. © Monalisa MaharjanYear2022NationNepal
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5. Tracing the Traditional Bandura Making in Modern UkraineOn identifying and researching the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine together with local communities, local and regional cultural organizations, Development Centre “Democracy through Culture,” as an NGO accredited to UNESCO for ICH issues and engaged in ICH safeguarding, has found that music and singing traditions are inherent in all regions and localities of Ukraine as one of the most important national ICH manifestations. Among the different types of these arts (including one inscribed into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, Cossack Songs of Dnipropetrovsk Region) there is one common and popular elsewhere, reflecting the past, present, and provisional future of Ukrainian culture. \n\nWhat is referred to as music and singing art is related to bandura. A bandura (Ukrainian: бандура) is more than a traditional music instrument in Ukrainian culture—it represents the entire social and cultural complex combining such integral parts as bandura making, bandura \nplaying, and bandura singing, writing texts of special poetical forms (dumas), performing, leading a certain lifestyle of travelling performer or travelling philosopher. Bandurysts, musicians who play the bandura have had a profound impact on Ukrainian folk culture as bearers of special knowledge and skills, even as magicians and prophets.Year2021NationUkraine
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STRATEGY FOR TRAINING COMING GENERATIONS OF FUJIAN PUPPETRY PRACTITIONERSWith the accelerated urbanization and the rise of modern popular culture in China in 1990s, and against the macro-environment of technical rationality, traditional arts lost their holding in many fields. Among these arts, Fujian puppetry, which has an uninterrupted thousand-year history, encountered a difficult situation related to transmission. There was simply not enough interest and the number of practitioners began to wane. To face these difficulties, the representative inheritors of Fujian puppetry–the principals and artists of the Quanzhou Puppetry Troupe, Jinjiang Hand Puppetry Troupe, and Zhangzhou Puppetry Troupe–have been searching for support from all possible channels and calling for attention to and promotion of puppetry. Among these proponents is the director of Quanzhou Puppetry Troupe, Mr. Wang Jingxian, who started to popularize puppetry while in his early twenties and continues to do so today as he approaches sixty. The success of their efforts to reignite interest in Fujian puppetry can be measured by the increase value that local governments and communities have been placing on puppetry and can also be reflected in the Quanzhou Puppetry Troupe relocating to a new venue and expanding the exhibition and performing venues to accommodate its needs.Year2015NationSouth Korea
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ICH Policy Brief MOVE 2023 APR01 UNESCO Trends\n* Mosul city employs local artisans to revive its landmark and culture\n* UNESCO reimagines African folk tales with Netflix together\n* Nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention for 2024 submitted from all around the world\n\n02 Asia-Pacific Trends\n* Documentation and digitization of Western Bengal’s traditional performing art form supported by the German consulate\n* A film featuring Cambodian tradition and culture released\n* 2023 ICH Brand Summit held in Guangzhou, China\n* Singapore National Arts Councils released Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027)\n\n03 Korean Trends\n* Open call for elements to nominate to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Representative List on the next cycle\n* MCST announced the Second Culture Promotion Plan (2023-2027)\n* KNUCH established the Center for World Heritage and Sustainable Development to train HIA professionals\n* Promotion of transmitting community for National Intangible Cultural Heritage kicks offYear2023NationSouth Korea
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Lkhon KholInscribed in 2018 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet (Lkhon Kohl) is practiced in a community surrounding Wat Svay Andet, a Buddhist monastery located around ten kilometers east of Phnom Penh on the Mekong River. Lkhon Khol is a traditional mask theater performance of Cambodia with its origins during the Angkor period (ninth to fifteenth centuries). It exclusively is performed by men wearing masks to the accompaniment of a traditional orchestra and melodious recitation.\n\nLkhon Khol, also known as “the monkey dance,” is ceremoniously performed once a year after the Khmer New Year for ritual purposes, linked mostly to the cycle of rice farming and the needs of farming communities. A specific theatrical performance is the Reamker, the Khmer version of Ramayana, which includes an introduction by storytellers who play an important role in the performance.\n\nLkhon Khol is passed across generations orally. However, from 1970 to 1984, due to war and the Khmer Rouge regime, transmission was nearly impossible. In addition, economic factors, insufficient resources, and economic migration from the community have also limited transmission, which is what led it to be inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding list.\n\nTwo theater groups, Kampong Thom and the National Theater troupes from the Department of Fine Arts and the Ministry of Culture and fine arts, have started performing the Lkhon Khol. In addition, the theatrical performance is also part of the syllabus at the University of Fine Arts.\n\nPhoto 1 : Lkhon Khol performance Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, 2017\nPhoto 2 : Lkhon Khol Art painting CCBYSA PPPOfficial\nPhoto 3 : Cambodian dance: Reamker (public domain)Year2021NationCambodia
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The National Program for ICH Safeguarding in MongoliaBy the 68th resolution of the government of Mongolia, the National Program for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage was approved on 13 February 2019. This national program will be implemented between 2019 and 2023, and it has six parts.\n\n 1. Justifications\n 2. Objectives, purposes, and duration\n 3. Activities to be implemented within the framework of the national program\n 4. Evaluation criteria for implementing the national program\n 5. Financing the national program\n 6. Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of national program\n\nSeveral articles associated with protecting and safeguarding traditional culture, its transmission, development, research, and dissemination were reflected on the Constitution of Mongolia, the National Security Concept of Mongolia, the Concept of Mongolia’s Foreign Policy, the Concept of Sustainable Development of Mongolia, the State Policy on Culture, the Law of Culture, the Law on Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the Law of Mongolian Language.\n\nThe Mongolian Law on Protecting Cultural Heritage was amended in 2014 by the State Great Khural for regulating relations associated with the fifteen ICH classifications, the rights and duties of ICH practitioners, an organization of transmission activities and so on.\n\nBetween 2005 and 2016, the government of Mongolia approved and implemented national programs for ICH elements, including morin khuur, traditional long song, and Mongol khoomei, which were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and Mongolian traditional folk dance bii biyelgee, Mongol epic, and Mongol tsuur, which were inscribed on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The NCCH has taken part in implementing these programs. As a result, these national programs have had positive changes in safeguarding ICH, such as identifying ICH practitioners from elders, organizing apprenticeship training, promoting traditional culture and cultural heritage abroad and nationwide, transmitting ICH to younger generations, building pride in ICH, and self-researching ICH.\n\nThe national programs were implemented only for the folk performing arts domain—one of the five UNESCO domains of ICH—but were not implemented for the other domains.It is a demanding task to implement ways to increase and improve research and safeguarding efforts for ICH in every domain represented in nomadic culture as well as to promote ICH abroad and nationally, and, at the same time, also increase the social and economic status of ICH practitioners while improving their skill and opening possibilities to introduce the cultural industry as a form of a tourist product.\n\nThe main objective of this national program is to identify ICH elements of ethnic groups in Mongolia and to research, register, document safeguard, transmit, and disseminate the ICH elements abroad and nationally.\n\nWithin the program’s framework, the following objectives were put forward to be implemented:\n\n-To improve the policy and legal environment of ICH and to intensify the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage\n-To improve research, documentation, and activities of ICH registration and information database in accordance with international standards\n-To organize and conduct activities associated with raising the general public’s awareness about ICH and disseminating ICH abroad and nationally based on intersectoral cooperation\n-To increase the ICH specialists’ capacity and support ICH practitioners\n\nPhoto : Sambuugiin Pürevjav of Altai Khairkhan (an overtone singing ensemble from Mongolia) playing a morin khuur near Centre Georges Pompidou in 2005 CCBY 2.5 Eric PouhierYear2019NationMongolia