Celebrating Intangible Heritage

Intangible Heritage took centre stage at UNESCO’s World Heritage Days on 16 and 17 September, from Congolese rumba and Brazilian capoeira to  Spanish flamenco. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization  has considerably advanced the protection of cultural heritage, by extending its definition to ancestral practices and knowledge that play a major role in the history and identity of peoples.

Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. Time for Legacy to think about what Nigerian intangible heritage deserves more attention, from Juju-music and palm wine to yabon sarakai songs and dambu nama meat.