International Council of Organizations for Folklore Festivals and Traditional Arts
NGO in formal consultative relations with UNESCO
CIOFF AT UNESCO
NEWSLETTER N°12
NOVEMBER 2004
Dear Members and Friends,
Please find herewith some information on UNESCO’s programs related to cultural diversity
and intangible cultural heritage as well as some others elements concerning the CIOFF
activities and more specifically our office at UNESCO.
We remain at your disposal for any further detail required.
Please do accept, Dear Members and Friends, our warmest regards.
Jean ROCHE, Permanent Delegate to UNESCO
Ariane GUAITA, Adviser
CIOFF Office at UNESCO
1, rue Miollis
F-75732 Paris Cedex 15–FRANCE
Phone : + 33 1 45 68 44 44
Fax : + 33 1 43 06 87 98
E-Mail: cioff-unesco@wanadoo.fr
Maison des Cultures et Traditions
Rte de St Priest 03800 Gannat FRANCE
Phone : + 33 4 70 90 12 67
Fax : + 33 4 70 90 22 64
E-Mail : rochejean@wanadoo.fr
CIOFF at UNESCO Newsletter n°11  November 2004
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A CONVENTION ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY
FIRST GOVERNMENTAL MEETING OF EXPERTS ON THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT CONVENTION
Representatives of UNESCO’s Member States met from Sept 20 to 25, 2004 to examine the first outline of the
preliminary draft Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions. The
preliminary draft text was established by 14 experts from various regions and professional backgrounds who met
on the occasion of 3 preliminary meetings, which took place on December 17-20, March 30 - April 3 and May 2831 2004. According to UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, the preliminary draft being proposed was
“widely consensual” and provided an “excellent basis for discussion” ; “it approaches in a complete way and
specifies the objectives of the Convention as well as its mechanisms of implementation and application”.
The meeting held in September was chaired by Prof. Kader Asmal from South Africa. It was attended by
representatives of 128 of the UNESCO Member States and about 20 NGOs invited as observers, including the
CIOFF.
During this week, Jean Roche and Ariane Guaita, representing the CIOFF, communicated their comments and
observations to the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee. The involvement of the civil society in the implementation
of the Convention was underlined but no final text has been proposed for the moment.
A draft Convention revised will be written in the 6 official languages of UNESCO in January 2005 and a second
meeting of this category is planned to take place from 30 January to 12 February 2005.
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE
CULTURAL HERITAGE
RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION BY THE MEMBERS STATES
In order to promote the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted by
UNESCO’s General Conference in October 2003, the Organization has planned eight regional meetings in
different parts of the world. It is hoped that these meetings will encourage Member States to ratify the Convention
– 30 of them shall sign it so that it could enter into force.
Those meetings are scheduled in Paraty (Brazil), in Delhi (India), in Nairobi (Kenya), in Alger (Algeria), in
Dominique, in Fiji et in Europe. Next meeting will take place in Kazan, Russian Federation, 13-15 December
2004.
For the moment only three countries signed the convention : Algeria, Maurice and Japan.
DIGITALIZATION OF THE INTANGIBLE HERITAGE : REPUBLIC OF KOREA AS A PRECURSOR
The Republic of Korea is interested in the importance of digitalizing the intangible heritage. In this framework,
Korea organized an interdisciplinary international event: the “Nabi Digital Storytelling Competition of
Intangible Heritage”, 2-8 October 2004, Seoul.
This cross-disciplinary event, which ties in particularly with UNESCO’s programmes of Intangible Cultural
Heritage and DigiArts, aims to promote creative interpretations of intangible heritage by using interactive
multimedia tools in order to give new forms of visibility to cultural heritage and to foster intercultural dialogue for
better mutual understanding of one another’s heritage. It focused on basic questions such as:
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Can digital technology enrich the presence of intangible heritage?
Furthermore can it foster true intercultural dialogue between people from different cultures?
How will the new generation react, interact or even create new forms to express their intangible
heritage?
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE SAFEGUARDING OF TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE HERITAGE
42 experts specialized in tangible and intangible heritage, coming from 23 countries worldwide, have adopted at
the end of the International Conference, which was organized by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and
UNESCO, theYamato Declaration on Integrated Approaches for Safeguarding Tangible and Intangible
Heritage.
This four-day Conference was held in Nara, Japan, on October 20-23 and inaugurated by the Director-General of
UNESCO. It was placed in the context of the forthcoming entry into force of the new international Convention for
the Safeguarding of Intangible cultural Heritage (2003). Also, debates on ways and means of possible
cooperation between the above-mentioned 2003 Convention and the successful UNESCO Convention for the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), are under way.
What was highlighted in the Yamato Declaration is “the importance of safeguarding both categories of heritages –
tangible and intangible - in their own rights, taking into account their interdependence but also their distinctive
characters. The Conference was epoque-making in assembling leading experts of heritage safeguarding and
inviting them to share an inclusive and contemporary vision on cultural heritage and its diversity, and to discuss
possible integrated approaches to safeguard it. Possible integrated approaches mean, in particular, to be
community-oriented, taking care of both tangible and intangible heritage, and taking into consideration
particularities of the specific cultural context of communities concerned. This approach is especially important for
the implementation of intangible heritage safeguarding, as it is enacted by people. Therefore, protecting
circumstances to enable communities to constantly recreate their cultural expressions is crucial. The Declaration
also recognized the difficulty of applying the concept of "authenticity" as used in the context of the 1972
Convention, to intangible cultural heritage as defined in the 2003 Convention”.
PARTICIPATION PROGRAMMES
UNESCO granted CIOFF under the Participation Programmes 2004-2005, a budget of 17.000 $ for the project :
“Intercultural Dialogue: Transfer of African cultures in the countries of the Caribbean and Latin America”.
This program aims at fostering the safeguarding and the promotion of both cultural identity and diversity by
strengthening the dialogue between cultures and civilizations across the Atlantic and promoting encounters in
order to create a dialogue between the African communities and the host communities. It also aims at contributing
to the UNESCO’s programme “the Slave Route”.
The underlying objective of the project is to ensure a continuity to the CIOFF’s activities in line with different
programmes which already took place and more specially to the CIOFF Africa Programme in respect of
UNESCO’s programmes and priorities.
It intends to carry on with the involvement of CIOFF for the promotion of the cultural diversity, the tolerance
between the peoples and to lie the action within the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and NonViolence.
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BARCELONA 2004 : UNIVERSAL FORUM OF CULTURES : THE INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL OF FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONAL ARTS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
The International Festival of Folklore and Traditional Arts of the Mediterranean of the South European and African
Sector of CIOFF took place in Calella, Spain, in the framework of the Universal Forum of Cultures – Barcelona
2004, on 2-6 September 2004. This event was organized with the support of the Ministry for Education, Culture
and Sports of Spain, UNESCO and the European Institute of the Mediterranean
The event, which was hosted by the National Section CIOFF Spain and organized by Adifolk, Calella Activa and
the Municipality of Calella, welcomed the presence of 1,250 artists – 300 from the Mediterranean area.
In addition with the wide program of artistic activities, some of the delegates of the South European Sector of
CIOFF met for an informal meeting on the occasion of the festival, and focused the discussions on the CIOFF
World Congress 2004 and other topics of interest for the Sector.
CONTINUATION OF THE CIOFF AFRICA PROGRAMME
In order to carry on with the CIOFF Africa Programme and to comply with the CIOFF’s canvassing mission, Jean
Roche visited the following countries:
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Burkina Faso, 2-7 March 2004, in order to strengthen the existing CIOFF section and in order to create a
National Section in the country. It was also the occasion to provide an expertise in cultural engineering
for the Masks’ Festival in Dedougou –FESTIMA - and for its extension abroad.
Madagascar, April 30-May 7, 2004, in order to create a CIOFF National Section in the country.
New-Caledonia, May 16-30, 2004, in order to strengthen the existing National Section and to develop
new contacts in the Pacific Ocean.
Egypt, August 24-31, 2004, for the Festival of Ismailia. Contacts have also been established with the
Ministry of culture in Cairo with the view to create a National Section in the country.
In addition, the International Music Council granted CIOFF a budget of 1,000 USD to develop an activity in
favor of musical diversity in Africa.
AGENDA
UNESCO’S EXECUTIVE BOARD
UNESCO’s Executive Board, chaired by Ambassador Hans-Heinrich Wrede (Germany), held its 170th session in
Paris from September 28 to October 14, 2004.
The Board’s agenda for this session included among its topics the elaboration of a “Declaration on Universal
Norms on Bioethics”; strengthening cooperation with Angola, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
and the joint UN Programme of Assistance to Afghanistan and the strategic review of UNESCO’s role in
Education for All.
The promotion of Cultural Diversity and the “Dialogue among Civilizations” in a globalized world was
debated as well. According to Ambassador Wrede: “Globalization offers advantages, but it also represents a
formidable challenge for the preservation of the rich cultural and intellectual diversity of civilizations.” This topic
was considered during a special debate on October 13. Professor Tu Weiming, who teaches Chinese history and
philosophy at Harvard University, discussed the subject with the Board Members. Prof. Tu Weiming was selected
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by Kofi Annan to join the “Group of Eminent Persons”. The group authored in 2001 the book “Crossing the
Divide”, which advocates a forward-thinking approach towards a genuine “Dialogue among Civilizations”.
UNESCO CHILDREN’S PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL OF EAST ASIA, SUWON, REP. KOREA, JULY 29 - AUGUST
2, 2004
In order to promote peace on the regional level, UNESCO initiated the UNESCO Children’s Performing Arts
Festival of East Asia in 2001 in Beijing, China. Japan welcomed the second edition in 2002; the 2003-edition was
cancelled because of SRAS. Macao will welcome next edition which will be hold in July 28-30, 2005.
According to Director- General of UNESCO regarding the 2004-Festival, the performing arts are one of the best
way to bring people together and to enable mutual understanding.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, PARIS, AUGUST 9, 2004
This year again, UNESCO celebrated the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. As the International
Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004) draws to a close, the time has come to take stock of the
past and mark out new paths for the future. According to Director-General of UNESCO “ major advances have
been made in the struggle to obtain recognition for the rights of indigenous peoples during the Decade.
Nonetheless, the conditions in which indigenous peoples live very often remain precarious. Their tangible and
intangible cultural heritage is still vulnerable. UNESCO took advantage of the opportunity offered by the Decade
to acknowledge and promote indigenous cultures at the highest level, in the UNESCO Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity (2001) and again in the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
(2003) […]. One of the remarkable specific features of indigenous peoples continues to be the outstanding wealth
of their traditions, knowledge and skills, together with their forceful determination to pass these assets on to future
generations. Thus, indigenous peoples still hold the key to unique traditional knowledge about their natural
environment. We cannot forget that between 300 and 500 million people live today in indigenous communities, in
more than 70 countries, representing more than 5,000 different languages and cultures. Fighting to safeguard
them, as UNESCO does, is to take a clear stand through substantive action in favor of a plural humanity that
respects the identities of all […]”.
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SLAVE TRADE AND ITS ABOLITION 2004, PARIS, AUGUST
23, 2004
The celebration of 23 August, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, had
particular symbolic value this year, 2004, which was proclaimed International Year to Commemorate the Struggle
against Slavery and its Abolition by the United Nations General Assembly. The date refers to the insurrection in
1791 on the island of Saint-Domingue which leaded to the first decisive victory for slaves against their oppressors
in the history of humanity.
The day included a number of events designed to permit people to see and hear the multiplicity of forms of
expression attaching to memory. According to the Director-General “the Day was an opportunity to inform the
public of this tragic story whose wounds were still open, to pursue the historic reflection as to its causes and
sequel, and to step up the promotion of tolerance and human rights. The Slave Trade […] not only disrupted the
lives of millions of human beings uprooted from their land and deported in the most inhuman conditions, but it
brought about cultural exchanges which deeply and lastingly influenced morals and beliefs, social relations and
knowledge on several continents”.
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AFRICA DAY CELEBRATIONS, MAY 25-28, 2004
The UNESCO’s Africa Group organized a whole series of events starting on Africa Day itself, May 25, at
Organization Headquarters.
The events were launched by African Group President Yvette Rabetafika Ranjeva, Madagascar’s Ambassador
and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO; Nouréini Tidjani-Serpos, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, Africa
Department; and the President of the African Group of Ambassadors to France, Fernanda Lichale, Mozambique’s
Ambassador and Permanent Delegate: exhibitions and conferences on the eradication of poverty, regional
integration, education and post-conflict situations in Africa.
1ST OCTOBER : INTERNATIONAL MUSIC DAY
The International Music Council (IMC) celebrated the International Music Day at UNESCO on 1st October.
This day was initiated in 1975 by Lord Yehudi Menuhin, then President of the IMC, in order to encourage the
promotion of musical art by raising public awareness on the role of music in the global world.
This year, the IMC celebrated the International Music Day by staging an exhibition at UNESCO featuring projects
and initiatives of IMC members worldwide. CIOFF contributed to the exhibition by distributing some leaflets and
more specifically on the Folkloriada 200 4and the International Mediterranean Festival of Calella.