Tocatì, a shared programme for the safeguarding of traditional games and sports
Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and France
Selected in 2022 on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices
© Sportimonium/Istarski Pljočkarski Savez/Folklore Association Ktima/Confédération FALSAB-Fédération de Gouren, Willemont/Gouren TV/Il Piccolo Cinema/KSTUDIO/AGA, 2020 As part of coordinated efforts to safeguard traditional games and sports in Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and France, the Associazione Giochi Antichi launched Tocatì (‘it’s your turn’), a festival and platform uniting communities, groups and individuals that practice traditional games. Tocatì links traditional games and sports to the values of intangible cultural heritage, mobilizing thousands of players, volunteers, admirers and media actors. By taking place in the streets and rendering highly urbanized and touristic areas spaces of inclusion and equality, it also raises awareness of the existence of intangible cultural heritage and the related risks. The five main objectives of the Tocatì programme are to: (a) enhance a common ground of exchange between practitioners and institutions; (b) establish a process for the participatory identification, documentation and monitoring of traditional games and sports; (c) improve the transmission of traditional games and sports in formal and non-formal education; (d) empower and protect communities and increase their ability to secure access to and manage public spaces; and (e) involve communities, groups, individuals, institutions and other stakeholders in innovative capacity-building initiatives. These objectives were identified through community consultations and meetings at the local, national and international levels and have dynamically shaped Tocatì, contributing to the programme’s growing participation and reach.
