Conference for the 20th Anniversary of the UNESCO Convention 2003 on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Greece : A critical reappraisal
The Conference aims to highlight the achievements and challenges of the implementation of the Convention 2003 in Greece with a specific focus on the registered Greek Elements that are related to music. Focusing on the paradigm of music and the performing arts the Conference will explore new opportunities for the safeguarding and promotion of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
To this end, experts from the fields of Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, Computer Science and Education will join their voices with the voice of the communities in an effort to come to a more equitable discussion. The whole discussion will be administered and monitored by four UNESCO Chair Persons. The two day Conference will feature a combination of keynote addresses, panel discussions and a round table. Representatives from communities, cultural professionals and experts in the field of ICH will discuss key topics such as documentation, transmission and cultural tourism. To highlight the living side of the discussed Elements, the UNESCO Chair Conference will include performances of traditional music and dance.
The primary objectives of the conference are:
- to facilitate the dialogical reflection on the 20 years of the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the ICH in Greece,
- to bring together experts, academics, professionals and communities involved in ICH in Greece for the exchange of knowledge and good practices.
- to make the general public aware of the importance of ICH and to promote its value as a common cultural heritage.
- to identify new opportunities for the preservation and promotion of ICH in Greece, including the role of technology, digital methods and AI, cultural tourism, community-based initiatives and transformative education.
- to highlight the rationale of the inscriptions and the effects that the registration of each element had on its reference community through the systematic and interdisciplinary study and analysis of the registration of Greek ICH elements in the UNESCO World List.
The conference is organised by the UNESCO Chair ‘Anthropology of Traditional Music: Representing and Repositioning Intangible Cultural Heritage’, Department of Music Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens ; TROPOS: Music and Culture Research and Promotion Center; and, the Directorate of Modern Cultural and Intangible Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture.
