In 25th November 2005, ten years ago, the Galician-Portuguese intangible heritage opted to be proclaimed as Masterpiece of Heritage of Humanity. It was the first Multinational Candidacy promoted by the education centres of two countries from the European Union. On this date, the Unesco recommended to presented the proposal again by highlighting its value and wealth of its manifestations and expressions.
In 25th November 2005, ten years ago, the Galician-Portuguese intangible heritage opted to be proclaimed as Masterpiece of Heritage of Humanity.
To commemorate the ephemeris, the association Ponte…nas ondas! will celebrate the next 25th November (exactly ten years ago) a Galician-Portuguese Exhibition of Orality aimed at education centres of both sides of the border (during the morning) and a Gala of Heritage (during the night). Both events will involve groups and artists from Galicia and from the North of Portugal
In 25th October 2004, a group of teachers from the Association Ponte…nas ondas! will deliver the Candidacy of the Galician-Portuguese Intangible Heritage in the headquarters of the Unesco in Paris. This candidacy, which was born from schools of both sides of the Miño River, caused a big adhesion in Galicia and Portugal (and in the Galician-Portuguese diaspora) and achieved the guarantee of the Spanish and Portuguese Nations just like the guarantee of the Xunta de Galicia. There are a lot of institutions that collaborated on the realization of the preparative works (universities, museums, associations…). In addition, a lot of support by important celebrities from the world of culture, education and science was specified by collective and individual adhesions (José Saramago, Nélida Piñón, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Suso de Toro, Manuel Rivas, Mário Claudio, etc.).
Next 25th November (exactly ten years ago) a Galician-Portuguese Exhibition of Orality aimed at education centres of both sides of the border (during the morning) and a Gala of Heritage (during the night) will be celebrate the ephemeris.
The Candidacy received, during the year, a lot of signs of support from both sides of the border, reaching a unanimous consensus in its favor. In 10th November 2004, the Parliament of Galicia approved unanimously a declaration of support that urged the government of the Xunta to support the process of the Candidacy. The same way, in 21st September 2005, the Congress of Deputies of Spain approved another resolution of support to the Candidacy and urged the government of the Nation to support it, translating this resolution to the Unesco. And in 11th December 2007, the Congress of Deputies of Spain approved again a resolution unanimously which urged the government of the Nation and the Xunta de Galicia to register the Candidacy of the Galician-Portuguese Oral Traditions on the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage.
A demand that still alive
The entity notes that “on this point, it’s essential that the different institutions get involved on the last mile to achieve that all this unprecedented addition of consensus and effort, emerged from the hope and the work on schools, finally arrive to the stated goal”.
On the last years, the Association Ponte…nas ondas! tries to register the Galician-Portuguese Oral Traditions on the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage, but they didn’t achieve it until this moment. Other offers, like the flamenco (presented the same year as the Galician-Portuguese and registered in 2010), achieved their aim. The identity notes that “on this point, it’s essential that the different institutions get involved on the last mile to achieve that all this unprecedented addition of consensus and effort, emerged from the hope and the work on schools, finally arrive to the stated goal”. “We understand that, ten years later, our common heritage, that was born on the period of the actual Galician-North Portugal Euroregion and that is present on different countries, deserves to be register on the Representative List of the Global Heritage”, they concluded.
Article created by PRAZA PUBLICA
