The Committee
- Takes note that Cambodia has nominated Cultural practices and expressions linked to Krama, a traditional woven textile in Cambodia (No. 02115) for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
Krama is a woven textile associated with traditional practices and cultural expressions of the daily life in Cambodia. A rectangular cloth made of either cotton or silk, krama features a variety of grid-pattern motifs. The white, yellow, red and blue dyes used are extracted from natural vegetation and insects, and the cloth is woven manually using a traditional handloom. A socio-cultural staple, krama is used daily through all walks of life, as a scarf, belt, blanket, bandana, lower garment, decorative cloth, and hammock for children. It is also used during rituals, ceremonies and festive events, as well as to prepare food and in health care. Although krama is predominantly produced by women, men also participate in the process by planting and harvesting cotton, collecting the materials for the dyes, and maintaining the handlooms. In the past, most women knew how to weave krama and passed the knowledge and skills on to their daughters. Today, professional krama groups and producers are taking over the production role. Educational organizations play an important role in transmitting the related skills and knowledge through training courses and workshops. The krama chain of production is based on a collaborative approach that promotes social cohesion and peacebuilding while contributing to Cambodian social and cultural identity.
- Considers that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
R.1: Krama is a woven textile associated with traditional practices and cultural expressions of daily life in Cambodia. Krama is used in different aspects of life including daily wear, rituals, festive events, in food preparation and health care. Both women and men engage in practising the element, although the role of women is important because they are responsible for passing the knowledge and skills of weaving krama to the next generation. Although the number of individual weavers has diminished, professional groups and producers are taking over the production role. The transmission of the element is reinforced by formal methods including training courses and workshops for professional groups, active communities and educational associations. The element promotes social cohesion and peacebuilding while contributing to Cambodian social and cultural identity.
R.3: The nomination file lists various community driven safeguarding measures. These include training through formal and non-formal education, a safeguarding measure that was committed to by the fifteen communities that attended workshops for the preparation of the nomination. NGOs and institutes will continue to provide vocational training, and the State has allocated a budget to traditional knowledge education, including krama. The Ministry of Commerce, through its National Silk Board, helps silk krama producers expand markets in the country and abroad. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts organizes an annual regional cultural event to which krama producers are invited, and national television stations and social media platforms to promote the element. The annual work plans of the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fishery prioritize providing the necessary environmental protection and technical support to weaving communities, including on how to properly raise silkworms and dye insects, and how to grow cotton and plants used for dyes.
R.4: The krama weavers expressed their willingness to nominate krama to the Representative List in 2018. After adding the element to the National Inventory in 2019, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts formed a team to prepare a nomination dossier. Several workshops were held to prepare the nomination file and raise awareness about Cambodia’s living heritage, the 2003 Convention, and community-based inventorying. Weaving communities, NGOs, academia, media, and the relevant ministries participated in the workshops. Fifteen communities and associations actively took part in the process of nominating the element.
R.5: The element was added to the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cambodia in 2019. The inventory is maintained by the Directorate General of Techniques for Cultural Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and is updated every two years. With financial support from the UNESCO Office in Phnom Penh, the State Party and community representatives developed a new form to support community-based inventorying processes. The updated form was released in 2023.
- Further considers that, from the information included in the file and the information provided by the submitting State through the dialogue process, the nomination satisfies the following criterion for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
R.2: The State Party marked the element as linked to the following aspects of sustainable development: food security, health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, inclusive economic development, environmental sustainability including climate change, and peace and social cohesion. The State sufficiently explained how the element contributes to the aspects of sustainable development selected in the file.
- Decides to inscribe Cultural practices and expressions linked to Krama, a traditional woven textile in Cambodia on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.