Contact Base

Tel.: +91 33 40 04 74 83

Postal address: 188/89 Prince Anwar Shah Road Kolkata 700045

Main countries where active: India

Vision

Empower communities with the knowledge, skills and resources to negotiate their rights and use cultural capital as an asset for inclusive development and building peace.

Mission

To foster socio economic empowerment of rural and indigenous communities through safeguarding ICH and developing grassroots creative enterprise and community led cultural tourism, promoting cultural diversity and pluralism through multiregional cultu

Informations

Year of creation: 2002

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization
- other: promoting culture for employment and growth; using culture for innovating new goods and services

Main areas of work related to the Convention:

Relevant projects and initiatives

The Art for Life initiative of Contact Base has led to safeguarding of ICH and
sustainable development of 50,000 rural traditional practitioners (60% women,
90% belonging to minority and indigenous groups) in three states of India. More
than 40 ICH elements have been inventoried and documented, awareness raised
and heritage education and skill transmission, use of IP tools for protection of
artists’ rights supported. 15 artist villages have become destinations of heritage
education and cultural tourism with community-run village folk art centres.
Communities enjoy recognition and reach new audiences nationally and
globally.