Egypt Celebrates the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage
On October 17, 2024, Egypt celebrated the inaugural International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage with a series of events and activities showcasing the nation’s rich cultural traditions. The celebrations, organized by Egyptian authorities with support from the UNESCO Office in Cairo, included roundtable discussions, cultural performances, workshops, and exhibitions.
A full-day event at the Supreme Council of Culture, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, featured active participation from government representatives and experts in panel discussions. Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) practitioners and knowledge holders demonstrated traditional crafts such as handmade weaving, pottery, and metal engraving through live demonstrations. The event also included performances of traditional music and dance, featuring the Tahteeb stick game and Aragoz traditional hand puppetry.
The celebration concluded with the inaugural session of the ICH lecture series at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, held within the framework of the exhibition titled “Intangible Cultural Heritage – A Bridge for Dialogue Among Cultures.” This exhibition is a collaboration between the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the UNESCO Office in Cairo.
The exhibition celebrates the rich tapestry of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Egypt, highlighting eight Egyptian traditions recognized by the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Through a unique dialogue between photographic displays and archaeological objects from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (EMC) collection, the exhibition connects contemporary cultural practices with early representations. These objects showcase the roots, cultural resilience, and significance of this living heritage. The photographic series presents cultural cartographies, linking Egyptian Intangible Heritage with similar traditions worldwide.
The first lecture, held on October 17, 2024, was delivered by Dr. Muriel Gros-Balthazard, a researcher at the French National Research Institution for Sustainable Development. Her lecture, titled “The Lasting Heritage of the Date Palm: From Ancient Cultivation to a Sustainable Future” highlighted the significance of the date palm as a symbol of sustainable agriculture and cultural identity.
The exhibition will run until November 15, 2024, at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, which receives an average of 6,000 visitors per day. The lecture series held during the exhibition aims to present a multidisciplinary perspective on the past, present, and future of living heritage, expanding ICH community, fostering mutual understanding, and contributing to sustainable development.
Text as provided by the organiser(s).