The Algerian capital recently hosted a two-day international conference on promoting intangible cultural heritage, which concluded with a call to develop a shared Arab strategy and launch a unified digital platform. The conference, organized by the Algerian Ministry of Culture and Arts in collaboration with the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO), brought together experts, researchers, and representatives from several Arab and foreign countries. The event aimed to discuss ways to protect and promote intangible cultural heritage.
The conference's final recommendations emphasized the need for Arab countries to harmonize their policies and legislation to enhance integration under the ALECSO umbrella. Participants stressed the importance of utilizing modern media to digitize heritage elements and address electronic preservation challenges. They also highlighted the need to invest in field data collected during the preparation of nomination files to produce scientific works and promotional films that raise societal awareness.
Conference attendees emphasized the significance of economically and socially valuing this heritage by linking it to sustainable development and cultural tourism projects. They proposed establishing joint Arab exhibitions and festivals, as well as adopting a strict ethical charter that protects heritage from attempts to distort or exploit it commercially. The charter aims to ensure respect for local community specificities and support interpretive centers that host heritage.
The conference's scientific committee called for the event to become a regular, fixed scientific gathering hosted by Algeria. They also proposed publishing the conference's research in a peer-reviewed scientific publication and establishing an Arab prize for non-governmental organizations active in preserving and documenting heritage.
The conference was organized by the Algerian Ministry of Culture and Arts in partnership with ALECSO. The event saw the participation of experts, researchers, and representatives from several Arab and foreign countries. The conference's discussions focused on ways to promote intangible cultural heritage and address the challenges associated with its preservation.
The importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage was highlighted during the conference, with participants stressing the need for a unified Arab strategy to address the challenges facing this heritage. They also emphasized the role of modern technology in preserving and promoting heritage.
The conference concluded with a call to develop a shared Arab strategy for protecting intangible cultural heritage and launching a unified digital platform to document and preserve this heritage. The event's recommendations and proposals will be implemented in the coming period to promote and protect intangible cultural heritage in the Arab world.
Key points
- Algeria hosts international conference to promote intangible cultural heritage
- Conference calls for unified Arab strategy to protect heritage
- Launch of unified digital platform proposed to document and preserve heritage
