Lesson 3: Cultural heritage and respect for diversity

Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Process

A basic aspect to understand in defining intangible cultural heritage is that, although it is usually used to designate objects, artefacts and instruments, such heritage refers primordially to processes.

The structure of a society may be mirrored in the way its members participate in enacting or embodying such intangible cultural happenings.

Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage intrinsically reflects appreciation and commitment to cultural diversity.

Diversity also implies recognition of different groups within a given cultural community. No community can thrive without the active and inventive participation of equally men and women, people having differences in physical capacities, racial or sexual characteristics or foreign provenance.

Source: https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/00073-EN.pdf