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Masked Dance for Ramayana: Intangible Heritage Without Borders

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Masked Dance for Ramayana: Intangible Heritage Without Borders Field Report Field Report he inscriptions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on the UNESCO lists has raised again global attention to variations of Hindi-in!uenced Masked Dance for Ramayana: Intangible masked dance in Southeast Asia, which retell the story of Rama, the T god-reincarnated king who defeats the demon king Ravana. In November last year, UNESCO announced the concurrent inscriptions of Heritage without Borders "ailand’s and Cambodia’s masked dance known as Khon and Lkhon Khol, which unfortunately drew ire from some people in both countries who are immersed in Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp historical hostility. UNESCO Bangkok Questions have come from many directions, in particular, on why these lists can Edited by Duong Bich Hanh & Jeremy Clay Walden Schertz inscribe similar traditions and which ones deserve better recognition. Indeed, such inquiries have been made within other contexts of heritage protection, which have no relevance to intangible cultural heritage. Most people are familiar with the concept of World Heritage, which concerns built heritage, from archaeological sites, palaces, settlements, ancient cities to cul- tural and natural landscapes. "e Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties can be de#ned by one of ten criteria, such as being unique evidence of human ingenuity, the manifestation of important historical events, the last reserve of distinctive biodiversity, etc. "e realization of these characteristics comes from technical experts and scienti#c and historical backing. Such an analytical process requires comparison between di$erent properties, to demonstrate each site’s impor- tance in its national and international contexts. However, these criteria of physical comparison cannot be used to judge the value of intangible heritage, which includes oral traditions, performing arts, traditional cra%smanship, local wisdom about nature and the universe, di$erent aspects of social practices, festivals, rituals, food cultures, sports, etc. Being immaterial in appearance and living in nature, the value of intangible heritage is de#ned by communities, groups, or individuals who have practiced it as part of their tradition and constantly transmit and recreate its forms and meanings in the ever-changing environment. "e UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (&) governs the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, with element inscriptions decided by an intergovernmental committee. What is o%en overlooked is that the Convention goes beyond the Lists and Register. It highlights the role of communities, groups, and individuals concerned as key players in identifying and transmitting intangible heritage that is vital to their way of life. It requests each State Party to the Convention to take necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage present in its territory, whether or not they are on the lists, and to respect the widest participation of communities, groups, and relevant individuals, especially in identifying, inventorying, and safeguarding their ICH. "at said, what is the most interesting in the value of masked dance about Ramayana , as a group of intangible heritage, is not how beautiful they are as art forms, or how they are made prize possessions of countries in the process of nom- ination. Instead, they are most interesting as local traditions that are still viable to many di$erent communities across the region, so all of them practice and pass on the skills and passion to the next generation. "ese masked dance variations have 8 ICH COURIER VOLUME 38 ichcourier.ichcap.org ichcourier.ichcap.org VOLUME 38 ICH COURIER 9 Field Report Field Report Sbek Thom Khmer shadow theatre Wai khru and krob khru ceremonies © Department Ramlila the traditional performance of Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet and © National Museum of Cambodia of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture, Thailand Ramayana © Ministry of Culture, India audience © Wat Svay Andet survived until today, thanks to the stewardship of local communities. "e safeguard- at that time aimed to help create awareness about practitioners’ livelihoods under ing success is something that state ownership of the culture cannot achieve. threat from commercialization. In , there were two variations of masked dance for Ramayana inscribed to On top of that, this year is not the #rst time that two Ramayana masked dances the lists. "e #rst one is Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet, practiced at a community were nominated at the same time. "e year also saw Ramlila, the traditional near Phnom Penh in Cambodia. "e aim of the dance is to appease guardian performance of the Ramayana in India, being nominated to the Representative List spirits for the community’s protection and prosperity. Transmitted orally within alongside Cambodian Royal Ballet. Ramlila recounts episodes of Ramayana in a the community for generations, Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet has only recently storytelling form that is popular in northern India. "e series of performances lasts been documented by monks and local youth. Considering surrounding threats to from ten days to one month and is organized chronologically to the storyline by this meaningful tradition, from war to poverty and migration, the community has hundreds of towns and villages during the Dussehra season to celebrate the legend worked with the government to propose Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet for inscription of Rama’s return from exile. in the List of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. "e Urgent Safeguarding List To look at this epic in much larger context, there are many other artistic and will enable international assistance for the Wat Svay Andet community to encourage ritualistic expressions rooted to di$erent degrees in the Ramayana epic in South them in their initiative to safeguard their Lkhon Khol. and Southeast Asia. India, as the birthplace of Ramayana , also in nominated At the same intergovernmental committee meeting, the nomination #le for Khon, Chhau dance, a masked dance from eastern India that blends the Mahabharata and masked dance drama in "ailand, was considered by the intergovernmental com- Ramayana epics with local folklore and abstract dance. Cambodia also showed that mittee and inscribed to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ramayana does not have to be portrayed only through masked dance when it nomi- Humanity. "is Representative List contains the majority of ICH being nominated nated Sbek "om, Khmer shadow theatre, in . globally, aiming to increase the awareness of the tradition’s importance and need for In fact, there are many more expressions of Ramayana not yet inscribed to the having a safeguarding plan to ensure that it stays viable in communities concerned. & Convention’s lists. Nonetheless, they have proven to bear immense value to the For "ailand, this is the #rst successful nomination since its rati#cation of the practicing communities. Phra Lak Phra Ram in Lao PDR and Hikayat Seri Rama in Convention in *. At a country level, this recognition will enable wider public Malaysia and Southern "ailand, for instance, are the oral traditions of Ramayana support to Khon practitioners and more sustainable transmission of knowledge that have in!uenced numerous festivals and dances that fuse local cultures and and skills. beliefs to the Hindi origin of the story. Some might be surprised that Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet is not the #rst Recollecting that masked dance and many more throughout the history of masked dance nomination from Cambodia. In , following the transfer of UNESCO ICH listing, we can see that the emphasis of these lists is not to show Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity which one is the best or deserves higher recognition. "e lists welcome nominations to the UNESCO Lists and Register as seen today, Cambodia nominated its Royal of similar traditions and encourage the country to prepare joint nomination proves Ballet, or Khmer Classical Dance, to the Representative List. "e dance, featuring their function as cultural maps rather than ranking lists. In this case, they map how masked performers, portrays the story of Rama through characters that exist also in masked dance for Ramayana , as a collective art form by diverse groups of people episodes of Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet and Khon in "ailand. A%er the war, the sharing beliefs and appreciation, can extensively represent the great diversity of the royal ballet regained its splendor with di+culty because of the lack of funding and intangible heritage of humanity. performing spaces as well as being overtly adjusted for tourism. "e nomination 10 ICH COURIER VOLUME 38 ichcourier.ichcap.org ichcourier.ichcap.org VOLUME 38 ICH COURIER 11.
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