Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Republic of Moldova

Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Moldova

The Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Moldova is one of the pillars on which the country's culture and identity are based on. This heritage, called by anthropologists "traditional culture", was recognized as part of cultural heritage, at international level, and became the subject of cultural policies in the last decade. “The Intangible Cultural Heritage”, is closely related to tangible heritage, according to UNESCO approach. The same time, on preserving traditional arts, knowledge, skills, social and cultural traditional institutions depends the maintenance of the national identity in the globalized world.

The Republic of Moldova is among 130 countries from the world to ratify the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Paris, 2003) and committed to “adopt a general policy aimed at promoting the function of the intangible cultural heritage” (art 13, a), to make an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage and to take measures the intangible cultural heritage to be transmitted to future generations.

The Republic of Moldova has developed a legislative framework in the field – The Law on Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (29 March 2012, 20/04/2012 in MO Nr. 76-80 Art. Nr: 255) and other regulations contained in this website to be adopted. Will be undertaken measures to safeguard this heritage by authorities and cultural managers, researchers and communities in the first place, in order to raise awareness and contribute to the documentation, promotion, transmission and use of the intangible cultural heritage in the welfare of society. Safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage means the recognition within society and assure its viability within communities. Communities themselves must be the beneficiaries of safeguarding measures and active participants in the process of inventory making and other safeguarding measures.

In order to implement the new policies, the Ministry of Culture created in November 2009 an expert commission – the National Commission for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which coordinates the implementation of state policy in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (art. 13, 3 of the Law). Was initiated the reform of the National Center for Crafts, henceforth – The National Centre for Conservation and Promotion of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which ensures the implementation of safeguarding measures in the territory (art. 13, 4 Law on protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Moldova).

In 2012 was approved by the Ministry of Culture and published “The National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of RM. Volume A”. The ICH Inventory is a list that takes under state evidence the intangible cultural heritage elements. It is one of the basic tools of safeguarding measures. The ICH Inventory will consist of two volumes, the second will be dedicated to different ethnic a communities inhabiting on the territory of Moldova. The first 50 items in the ICH Inventory were documented and included within the Pilot Project on making up national inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with the 2003 International Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, with financial support from UNESCO Moscow Office.

 

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