Finding New Paths for Heritage Succession in the COVID-19 Era

UNESCO Asia-Pacific Intangible Heritage Center Hosts Intangible Heritage Webinar

The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Bangkok Office announced on the 15th that they will hold a series of four intangible heritage webinars starting from the 18th. A webinar is a combination of the words web and seminar. Instructors and participants exchange opinions in real time using internet-connected computers, microphones, and telephones.

The meetings will include UNESCO, UNESCO Category 2 Centres, and researchers of tangible and intangible heritage. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic era, topics such as ▲cases of intangible heritage protection in the Asia-Pacific region ▲creative and alternative heritage education at universities ▲global higher education networking for intangible heritage protection ▲development of intangible heritage degrees in Europe and Africa will be discussed. An official explained, “Intangible heritage becomes a source of survival and creativity in times of crisis. In Indonesia, the immunity benefits of the traditional herbal medicine Jamu, and in Hong Kong, the traditional food culture of brewing cheongju and making fermented sauces from local agricultural products have been reappraised,” adding, “As intangible heritage transmission takes place online, new paths for heritage succession are opening.”

At the first webinar, Juliet Hopkins, a specialist in intangible heritage at UNESCO, will present the results of UNESCO’s survey and analysis on cultural heritage experiences that have become prominent after the COVID-19 crisis. Anna Yau, a researcher at the University of Hong Kong, will introduce the role of the traditional heritage of the Lai Chi Wo community in Hong Kong for urban sustainability, and Kirk Siang Yeoh, Deputy Director of the National Heritage Board of Singapore, will share Singapore’s heritage protection experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Chris Ballard from the Australian National University will present on the theme “Disaster as Opportunity,” and Professor Eric Jerado from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines will discuss “Tierra-Tenao: The Meaning of Forced Rest in Bontoc.” For more details, please refer to the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.