Year of creation: 1980
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main countries where active:

Belgium

Objectives:
Le Centre Albert Marinus (anciennement Fondation Albert Marinus) porte le nom et prolonge le travail d'Albert Marinus (1886-1979), l'illustre défenseur du patrimoine culturel immatériel de a Belgique. Celui-ci œuvra durant toute sa carrière, tant sur le plan national qu'international, pour une meilleure connaissance en ce domaine. II enseigna aussi Ia sociologie et l'économie politique à l'Institut pour journalistes de Belgique. II devint vice-président de Ia Commission internationale des arts populaires auprès de l’UNESCO de 1947 à 1964. II participa également à Ia création à Londres de I'International Folk Music Council dont il fut vice-président de 1947 à 1972. Auteur de nombreux ouvrages de référence, il recréa I'Ommegang bruxellois en 1930.
Le Centre a donc été créé en 1980, en l'honneur d'Albert Marinus, sociologue, folkloriste et humaniste de réputation internationale.

En tant qu'association sans but lucratif, il poursuit un triple but scientifique:

• Ia sauvegarde et Ia diffusion des écrits et des théories d'Albert Marinus ;
•Ia poursuite de Ia recherche en matière d'ethnologie et de sociologie en développant des études sur Ia vie et les traditions populaires, le patrimoine culturel oral et immatériel ainsi que les métiers d'art ;
• Ia sensibilisation du public aux arts et traditions populaires en tant que patrimoine culturel immatériel mais aussi en tant qu'outil de connaissance et de réflexion sur Ia vie sociale.
D'une manière générale, I' association veille à faire prendre conscience au public le plus large de son appartenance à Ia communauté de langue française de Belgique par Ia réalisation de ces objectifs.
Le Centre ne peut réaliser ces objectifs sans contacts permanents avec des organismes, des associations, des chercheurs qui partagent ses préoccupations, en Belgique et à l'étranger. Elle assure à cet égard le role de "plaque tournante de l’information entre théoriciens, chercheurs, praticiens, amateurs ou grand public.


Activities:
Les activités du Centre Albert Marinus comprennent plusieurs volets:
- un centre de documentation;
- des activités culturelles de sensibilisation;
- des activités de formation;
- des activités scientifiques et publications

Cooperation:
Le Centre entretient des rapports fréquents avec les acteurs du patrimoine culturel immatériel de Bruxelles et notamment le Meyboom (reconnu par I'UNESCO), I'Ommegang (reconnu par Ia Communauté française), le théâtre de marionnettes de Toone, les différents serments d'arbalétriers. II organise également des échanges d'informations avec les universités belges
(Bruxelles, Liège, Gand, Louvain, Namur) ainsi qu'avec des associations nationales, tant flamandes (VIaamse Centrum voor Volkskultuur, Archief and Museum voor het Vlaams Leven in Brussel…) que wallonnes (Musée de Ia Vie wallonne, Musée en Picon rue, Maison des Géants d'Ath…). Sur le plan international, il communique avec diverses institutions auxquelles il envoie régulièrement ses publications (Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi de San Sebastian, Seminario Permanente de Estudios de Cultura Popular et Patrimonial de Ia Region de Murcia, Société française de Mythologie, Société d'Ethnologie française…).

Jean-Paul Heerbrant, directeur du Centre Marinus, siège dans les instances d'avis de Ia Communauté française de Belgique : Conseil d’ethnologie et Commission du Patrimoine oral et immatériel. Les séances régulières de ces associations sont I'occasion de rencontrer d'autres acteurs du terrain et d'échanger points de vue et nouvelles. Ces rencontres ont d'abord pour finalité de juger des candidatures de reconnaissance au titre de Patrimoine oral et immatériel introduites auprès de Ia Communauté française de Belgique et auprès de l’UNESCO, d'accorder des subventions aux praticiens et aux acteurs du patrimoine culturel immatériel ainsi que d’émettre des avis destinés à Ia Ministre de Ia Culture de Ia Communauté française de Belgique.

Year of creation: 2001
Domain(s):

- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship
- Agriculture, culinary traditions

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main countries where active:

Belgium

Objectives:
Le Centre d'Histoire Agraire (Centrum Agrarische Geschiedenis - CAG) souhaite, avec toutes les personnes intéressées, étudier le passé de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation , le préserver et le rendre accessible au grand public, afin de donner à cet héritage la place qui lui revient dans la société et sa réelle signification actuelle. Il se veut un point d' appui indépendant pour les initiatives visant la préservation, la valorisation et l'accesibilité de l'héritage en matière d'agriculture, développement rural, préservation du paysage et alimentation.
Le Centre d'Histoire Agraire souhaite informer, éduquer et animer le public plus large possible, en se basant généralement sur l'actualité.
Activities:
Le Centre fonctionne comme un centre d' expertise dans ce domaine et regroupe des scientifiques des différentes disciplines (histoire, géographie historique, agronomie, sociologie, économie, ...)
Cooperation:
The Centre for Agrarian History is being supported by the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), Cera, Boerenbond, VLAM and the Flemish Community.

Year of creation: 1980
Budget: U.S.$900000
Domain(s):

- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship
- traditional games

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Objectives:
The Centre for Sport Culture (CSC, formerly Vlaamse Volkssport Centrale) - a non profit organisation - was established for the study, promotion and safeguarding of traditional sports and games. The roots of the CSC lie in an extensive research programme (Katholieke Universtiteit Leuven) on the history and the current situation of traditional games in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium), started by prof. R Renson in 1973. The unexpected richness and variety of traditional games lead to the foundation of the CSC in order to promote this (endangered) sporting heritage and to get people acquainted (again) with the traditional games.

The mission of the CSC states that the CSC must be a centre of expertise in safeguarding the intangible heritage of the traditional and modern movement culture in vivo and in situ via identification, documentation, research, protection, handing down, revitalizing … on a national and international level.
To achieve this objective the CSC took over, partially, the research from the university and developed a range of initiatives (publications, library & documentation centre, exhibitions, tourist routes, conferences, lending services, …).

Gradually the CSC broadened its scope to a European and even a worldwide scale. On a European level the CSC carried out a lot of demonstrations of traditional games abroad and invited traditional games practitioners from many countries to Belgium for demonstrations and exchanges. In line with these activities, the CSC was among the founding members of the European Traditional Sports and Games Association (2001). The activities worldwide concern mainly research, publications, the gathering of documentation and exchange of information.

From 2000 onwards, the CSC committed itself, together with Sportmuseum Vlaanderen (Sports Museum Flanders) to realise the Sportimonium-project, a museum about the sports history of Flanders in its national and international context. Especially as traditional games are concerned, both the tangible (artefacts) and intangible (loan service, games park –see further) aspect of the sporting heritage is taken into account.

Activities:
The Centre for Sport Culture (CSC) has launched a variety of initiatives for safeguarding the tangible and intangible heritage of traditional games and sports:

Research
- In collaboration with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the CSC carries out research on traditional games (inventory, evolution, organisational structure, ..) and supervises, as co-promotor, papers and theses (bachelor and master degree). For enquiries the centre calls upon the traditional sports federations for collaboration.
- the CSC organized the ‘Second European Seminar on Traditional Games’ (Leuven, 1990) on behalf of the Council of Europe.
- the CSC organised a symposion (Leuven, 2004) to present and discuss the results of its research project on the evolution of traditional games in Flanders 1982-2002.

Publications
- CSC was the editor of a series of 8 publications on traditional games (history, specific language, rules, dissemination, social aspects, …), 1980-1988
- CSC is editor of the journal ‘Sportimonium’ (history of sport, traditional games), 1980–up to now
- Staff members contributed about one hundred articles to many (inter)national reviews and books, 1980–up to now.

Documentation centre and library (open to the general public)
- ca. 2000 books on traditional games (worldwide)
- a series of periodicals
- archives

Artefacts
The CSC has gathered hundreds of artefacts and thousands of audiovisual documents related to traditional games (playing equipment, garment, photographs, posters, songs, interviews with the practitioners, footage …). This collection has been handed over to the Sportimonium in 2000. In this museum one of the sections is entirely dedicated to traditional games worldwide.

Promotion
- a large travelling exhibition ‘Traditional games in Flanders’ has been set up in about 15 cities (1980-1990) and smaller travelling exhibitions are available for schools, cultural and sport centres. A travelling exhibition ‘Traditional games in Europe’ is also available,
- organizing demonstrations/festivals and initiations of traditional games (in close cooperation with the practitioners),
- the CSC manages within the Sportimonium-project a park of traditional games (since 2005). The action and interaction inherent in this sort of heritage cannot be ‘stowed’ in the museum depot nor can it be experienced in a static exhibition. Therefore the visitors can get acquainted with the skills of a variety of traditional games which are still practised (locally) in Flanders.
- in the same line the CSC runs a series of loan services all over the country for traditional games in order to provide people with the equipment for practising at festivals, family feasts, school and youth movement activities,
- the games equipment for the above mentioned loan service is produced, based on the authentic examples, in the CSC’s own workshop.The CSC provides assistance in building/restoring traditional sports infrastructure.
- the Sportimonium mainly focuses on school classes (10-14 year) to teach them about sports heritage. Another important target group are the students physical education/sports (bachelor and master degree). As the future teachers and sport administrators they are invited to the Sportimonium in order to sensitize them and to get them acquainted with traditional games. They are therefore able to hand this down to the next generations in schools or by supporting the practitioners of traditional games, the bearers of intangible heritage, on regional/municipal level.

Counselling and support
- supporting festivals organized by the traditional games players
- helping clubs, federation and their individual members in research matters
- counselling associations or federations for candidatures for the Belgian list of elements of intangible heritage
- participation in (governmental) assessment committees (cultural matters)
- collaboration with Unesco (project on traditional games 1990, platform for traditional games worldwide 2006-2009).

Personnel: manager (1), research/fieldworker (1), administrator (1), workshop (3), library (2).
The staff of the CSC has almost 30 years experience in safeguarding traditional games. The staff members (3) have university degrees and have followed in the course of years many courses related to the safeguarding of (intangible) heritage. The CSC is in close contact with other organisations in the country taking care of popular culture in order to exchange experience.
The same goes for engagement in the international network of the European Association for Traditional Sports and Games, of which the CSC has been among the pioneers. Due to these constant contacts, on the one hand with the practitioners of traditional games and at the other hand with professionals working in the fields of culture, sport and tourism the personnel of the CSC has acquainted its competences.
The composition of the supervising CSC-General Assembly – a mix of university professors (sports history, sports sociology, ethnography, literature, …), directors/chairmen of (traditional) sports organisations, museum collaborators, directors of cultural institutions … guarantees a high standard quality

Cooperation:
The CSC has established over the years good contacts with many practitioners and their clubs and federations. The CSC has been instrumental in helping the clubs to get in contact with each other and to found (if appropriate) federations of their own. This resulted in 1988 in the foundation of a confederation for traditional games (Vlaamse Traditionele Sporten vzw, VlaS) with the CSC as one of the founding members. This confederation grew steadily from 500 to 12.000 members and acts now as an umbrella organisation for 23 types of traditional games.
The CSC is member of the board of directors of VlaS and vice versa, firstly in order to be well informed about each other activities and initiatives, secondly to collaborate where appropriate.
While constructing the traditional games park, there has been close cooperation with practitioners in testing and adapting the facilities in full respect with the games while using – if possible - modern materials. The latter being important to make the ‘old fashioned’ games a little more attractive to young(er) people.
One of the CSC objectives is to make the bearers of the intangible heritage, i.e. the players themselves, aware of the importance and richness of their activities. This must lead to an enhanced self-consciousness towards heritage in order to hand it down and to defend it.
Important for the CSC remains, furthermore, exchange and collaboration with other organisations experienced in the domain of popular culture and in safeguarding intangible heritage.

Year of creation: 2012
Domain(s):

- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization
- other

Main countries where active:

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Objectives:
The European Federation for Architectural Heritage Skills (FEMP) is a non-governmental, nonprofit association of continuing vocational education and training (CVET) centres specialised in the training of heritage skills as well as professional organisations promoting vocational education and training of heritage craft skills. FEMP aims to promote the understanding of the role of craft skills and craft conservation for the preservation of monuments and cultural objects. FEMP also seeks to improve the strategic framework for international training in order to develop and expand heritage craft skills. To this end, FEMP is engaged both in political advocacy and in the exchange, dissemination and expansion of expertise at international level.
FEMP pursues a range of activities such as:
Setting up initiatives to increase awareness of the traditional know-how and techniques associated with the preservation and restoration of architectural heritage sites and moveable and other material cultural heritage (craft conservation and restoration);
Establishing a network connecting the various heritage skills CVET centres to facilitate training mobility and to develop and expand heritage craft knowledge and heritage craft skills;
Creating a communication platform and expert database for heritage craft skills to serve training centres, practitioners, heritage institutions and the public at large;
Taking on the role of central point of contact with a view to defining common objectives, and of monitoring and advisory body for all matters involving the safeguarding, management and further development of heritage skills;
Organising and encouraging activities involving publications, conferences, meetings, events and training programmes in the field of heritage skills inside and outside Europe; advocating measures to assist in the free circulation of services provided by craft trades heritage professionals;
In European countries, nowadays, the effect of academisation broadly endangers the transfer of traditional craft skills. This is due to a declining number of apprentices on the one hand, who are channelled, through assymetric education policies, into higher education with VET left underdevelped. On the other hand, biased conservation regulations, standards and procurement practices have detrimental effects to craft trades businesses and their day-to-day work endangering the constant reproduction of their skills sets. By keeping up an expert dialogue and informing on these problems as well as by teaching, researching on and promoting traditional craftsmanship and heritage skills, FEMP seeks to foster the general understanding for crafts people and their issues in order to improve the strategic framework for traditional craftsmanship in heritage preservation.

Activities:
Knowledge Transfer
Through its members engaged in the research on and training of heritage skills, FEMP supplies vast specialist knowledge on the intangible cultural heritage of traditional crafts. Its eldest member, the European Center for Heritage Crafts and Professions has extensive experience in conducting international courses, going back to 1978. The European Centre provides CVET courses specifically for heritage preservation in theory and practice, as well as special Italian preservation and restoration techniques. This course targets painters and decorators, stucco plasterers, metalworkers, carpenters and joiners, stone masons and sculptors, gilders and bricklayers. The European Centre is the only institution in Europe offering such specialised courses not just on national scale, but also for participants from other countries. The apprentices are given the opportunity to apply what they have learnt under the supervision of the Centre's instructors.
The craftsmen participating are expected to deepen and extend their knowledge and skills in restoration and heritage preservation. In addition, they will get to know specific Italian techniques, swap "tricks of the trade" with craftsmen from other countries in the classrooms and workshops, and - once back in their home countries - pass on what they have learnt to their colleagues and other apprentices. The aim of the interaction with craftsmen from other countries is to reflect on
one's own ways of working and to boost one's self-confidence. Demonstrating, imitating, correcting and joint practicing skills improve the practitioners' command of handwork as a world language. The know-how acquired benefits the material heritage and its preservation. Through learning, working and living together, the mutual respect and understanding for cultural commonality and diversity is fostered. Moreover, participants develop a feeling for a transnational craft trades identity- with regard to both the perpetual exchange, throughout history, of knowledge and skills between the peoples and the common intangible cultural heritage.
A longer-term aim of FEMP is bringing together specialist and expert knowledge and training expertise from CVET centres for heritage preservation from inside and outside Europe, to coordinate and network their activities, and to develop an ECVET-based curriculum for skilled craftsmen working in the field of heritage preservation and craft conservation and restoration.
For example, one of the FEMP member Fondazione Villa Fabris was pastly named as the European Centre for Heritage Crafts and Professions created in 1977 on a Council of Europe initiative with the support of UNESCO, the European Community Commission, the Italian Government and International Bodies and Organizations- was established on San Servolo Island in Venice.
lt implemented the principles of modern International Conservation Charters: an international environment, heritage conservation works, reviving the traditional craft professions, and training courses with multidisciplinary programs covering both theoretical and practical subjects.
In 2007, the spirit of this centre has now resurfaced in Villa Fabris in Thiene. The Centre's activities started being promoted by the Villa Fabris Foundation, in a 18th century architectural complex in the centre of Thiene.
The Foundation immediately invested in technologically advanced tools, making the Centre a place where people can exchange not only ideas and objects, but also methods, technologies and know-how.
In 2017, forty years after its establishment, the Centre attracts thousands of European and non-European participants as an international reference both in the debate on conservation and in the application.
Le Centre des métiers du Patrimoine "La Paix-Dieu" was created in 1997. Its management was taken over by the Walloon Heritage Institute in 1999. The IPW is a public interest corporation which performs various functions in parallel to the Heritage Administration: assistance to owners of listed properties at risk, the valuation of certain properties belonging to the listed Walloon heritage and the public sensitization through different activities such as publications, Heritage Days, etc.
Among those missions, the most beautiful one is the preservation and transmission of knowledge in the field of architectural heritage.
The Centre of la Paix-Dieu has the chance to develop its activities of training courses on a historic site quite exceptional, ideal teaching aid, of a former Cistercian abbey located in Wallonia, South of Belgium.
In the framework for international cooperation on the UNESCO heritage, la Paix-Dieu exports the Walloon know-how through training operations in St. Louis (Senegal), in Old Havana (Cuba), in Ramallah (Palestine), in a village in the province of Hue in Vietnam and in Port-au-Prince in Haiti.
On the European scale, the Centre of la Paix-Dieu collaborates with a lot of institutions as the association of Compagnons du Devoir in France, Association of cultural centres, Cistercian abbeys networks, ...

Cooperation:
Though carrying out regular heritage classes, FEMP training centres have gained extensive experience both in teaching craftspeople and in co-operating with them as instructors. Classes cover a wide age range from European qualification level 4 to 6.
FEMP shares and promotes the views and values of craftspeople, namely the respect of practice, tacit knowledge and experience gained through a professional, non-academic approach towards self-perfection.
The Center of la Paix-Dieu and the Villa Fabris Foundation pursues the following general objectives:
- to culturally enhance the preservation and heritage trades;
- to train young apprentices and craftsmen who are technically and culturally prepared in order to stimulate technical development in the field of restoration, combining the use of the latest technology with respect to the tradition, the history and the culture of the area;
- to hold specialization courses and updating courses for experts in restoration transferring experience and skills to new generations of craftspeople.
Also, two of the members, the Center of la Paix-Dieu and the Banffy Castle benefit the European recognition of the Cultural Heritage awarded by Europa Nostra (Federations of the European Associations of the Heritage) for the awakening classes organised for teenagers from 12 to 15 years old.

Year of creation: 1999
Budget: U.S.$2500000
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship
- other
- Foodways, traditional sports and games, information technology for heritage, cyberculture, heritage education.

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- other
- Impact analysis and policy evaluation, surveys, promoting sustainable development, use of information technology, participation methods and cultural brokerage.

Main countries where active:

Belgium, France, Netherlands, South Africa

Objectives:
The Non-Governmental Organization FARO functions as a support center to make interesting policy instruments like the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the 2005 Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society and in particular the (new) cultural heritage decree of the Flemish Community (23 May 2008), work in practice and to explore their full potential. FARO acts as an interface between local, provincial, regional and national governments, international networks, local and national heritage organizations and institutions, the academic world and civil society. Cultivating open collaboration and win-win-situations is a preferred method, next to stimulating communities of practice, reflexivity and working towards milestones and good practices in heritage projects. FARO assists heritage networks and organizations to develop strategies and helps to put these plans in practice. FARO is a professional interdisciplinary organization doing and facilitating research, exploring and distributing information about new working methods and good practices, cultivating innovation in safeguarding programs. Raising awareness and promoting dialogue about and through cultural heritage and enhancing visibility of safeguarding practices in the field of intangible and tangible heritage, are main objectives. Studying the effects and impact of cultural heritage policy and practices and giving feedback to policy makers and organizations are also an important challenge. Facilitating international cooperation and exchange and stimulating organisations in Flanders and Brussels to participate in international debates and projects is a crucial objective. For more information see www.faronet.be.
Activities:
FARO is the interface for cultural heritage in Flanders/Belgium, providing practical support and other services for museums, archives, popular culture organisations,heritage NGOs and intangible cultural heritage practioners. This includes organizing courses, workshops and training programs, coaching and training field specialists and cultural brokers, publishing books, journals, DVDs and making websites about cultural heritage, developing a documentation and information center, conducting surveys and systematic research, sensitizing and envolving civil society for cultural heritage issues. The interdisciplinary team uses methods and theories of cultural anthropology, ethnology, cultural and social history, public history, art history, linguistics, information science, cultural studies, museology, archivistics and heritage studies. FARO has a specialized library focussed on heritage studies, popular culture and methodology. Special efforts are devoted to ICT and digitization programs, in particular webbased applications and multimedia projects. Programs are being developed for sustainable development, deontology and ethics in heritage safeguarding practices and intercultural exchange. FARO provides expert assistance in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to groups and communities requesting help. FARO also coordinates recurrent national events, like the cultural heritage day or the week of taste. Implementing and combining international conventions is crucial in the strategy of FARO.
FARO has a staff of (on average) 30 full-time employees (21 staff members and, on average, 9 temporary project managers or collaborators) , of which 80% has an academic degree (Ph.D. or master) in heritage studies, history, art history, linguistics, anthropology, information and computer sciences or other disciplines. FARO is the result of the fusion in 2007/2008 of the VCV (NGO founded in 1999, for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage) and CBV (NGO for museums, archives and heritage consultants). The staff of both organizations (VCV en CBV) is now active in the new network organisation FARO, cultivating interdisciplinary collaboration and working. The annual budget ranges between 2 and 3 million euros.
Marc Jacobs, Ph. D., director of FARO, has participated as an official expert in all phases of the drafting process of the 2003 UNESCO convention and was the expert representing Belgium in the Intergovernmental Committee in 2006-2008. This illustrates how active VCV, now FARO, has been involved in the whole process of preparing and then implementing the 2003 UNESCO-convention for the safeguarding of ICH.

Cooperation:
FARO is the official national support organization in Flanders (including Brussels) for heritage networks, volunteer organisations, local communities, tangible and intangible heritage specialist and practioners.(see www.faronet.be). It is subsidized by the Flemish government to develop and implement methods, training programs and platforms for empowering groups and practitioners to participate in heritage work and policy issues. The Flemish Center for the study of Popular Culture (VCV) now FARO, has since 1999 succesfully managed (in helping) to include volunteer networks and NGOs as full participants in heritage policy and debates, resulting in the official recognition in the 23-5-2008 decree on cultural heritage in Flanders. VCV/FARO has set up dozens of projects with heritage communities and groups (see www.faronet.be). Intercultural contacts, cultural diversity and working with migrant groups is a specific focus of FARO. FARO is also participating in projects establishing international networks of NGOs and stimulating communication (see for instance http://www.heritage-organisations.eu/).

Year of creation: 1978
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Objectives:
FACE's main objectives are to promote hunting, in accordance with the principle of wise and sustainable use of natural resources, as a tool for rural development and conservation of our wildlife and biodiversity, as well as to preserve hunting as a cultural heritage together with the hunters' communities by allowing hunting traditions and shared knowledge to be passed on. As part of this FACE, representing 7,000,000 hunters and recognising the rich cultural traditions associated with hunting and hunters, works to safeguarding the undeniable, rich and varied cultural aspects that sustainable hunting traditions have added to and have helped to enriched Europe’s common heritage, as reflected over the centuries in our art, gastronomy, music and literature.

Additional information:
1) To promote and defend hunting, in accordance with the principles of sustainable use of natural ressources. Hunting has long and deep traditions spanning over thousands of years. Hunting as such (i.e. different hunting methods, such as hunting with hounds, falconry, stalking, calling etc.) as well as the traditions associated with hunting (like music, art, festive events, literature, knowledge about nature, gastronomy, hunting artefacts) constitute a rich and multiMfaceted intangible cultural heritage. In promoting and defending hunting, FACE seeks to safeguard a cultural heritage together with hunters' communities by allowing hunting traditions and shared knowledge to be passed on.
2) To establish and maintain permanent relations and exchanges between hunting associations, supporting their efforts and taking part in their work.
3) To defend the moral and physical interests of members of Member Associations, taking joint decisions on subjects of common interest and implementing those decisions.
This along with the promotion of hunting (as mentioned in point 1) implies to develop, maintain and amend national and international laws, treaties and conventions to permit the pursuit and perpetuation of hunting traditions, hunters' interaction with nature and their history, which provide our members with a sense of identity and continuity.
4) To contribute towards enlightening the public at large as to the principles of sustainable hunting, their value in the management and wise use of game and its habitats, as well as to the important role the public can play in the conservation of game and its habitats. This includes to uphold a positive public image of hunting and respect for hunting culture and traditions.
5) To promote all forms of activity, research and contacts associated with game and habitats, in particular with all national and international organisations which have similar concerns or would help in achieving the Federation's goal.
6) To raise and manage funds to contribute financially to projects of scientific research, of technical work, of conservation and management of wildlife and its habitats, of information and awareness raising and to any other initiative aiming to promote biodiversity conservation through the sustainable use of renewable natural resources.
Activities:
As a Federation much of the direct activities related to safeguarding cultural heritage is conducted by our Members who in many cases have persons dedicated to managing cultural heritage activities (e.g. horn blowing, different hunting methods, gastronomy, etc.) and regularly organise training and events to keep the traditions alive. (See section 7)
We have also organised events at a European level to showcase hunting's rich cultural heritage, including a high level event at the European Parliament called “Hunting & Culture”.

Additional information:
FACE is a non-profit international organisation, which represents national Member Associations from 36 European countries whose total membership is 7,000,000 individuals. FACE is ensuring an active membership community to pursue the objectives for which it was established. It regularly convenes the Member Associations in various Working Groups, such as the ones on 'hunting with hounds', 'bow hunting', 'ethics', 'how to communicate hunting' and others. It organises an Annual General Meeting to discuss matters of the Federation. It provides a platform for contacts between its Members and
European decision-makers, inter alia in the framework of the Intergroup "Sustainable Hunting, Biodiversity & Rural Activities", which meets regularly in the European Parliament and for which FACE is providing the Secretariat. In addition FACE is organising events showcasing huntings' rich cultural heritage, such as the recent on "Hunting and Culture" in the European Parliament, held on 22 April 2009, where participants had a gastronomic experience of game meat traditions from Austria and France, could listen to German and French hornblowers and met wildlife painters displaying their art.

Representatives of FACE in our Member Associations are organising numerous activities related to the safeguarding of hunting as a cultural heritage and are dedicated to managing cultural heritage activities (e.g. different hunting methods - such as stalking, calling, hunting with hounds, falconry, hornblowing, gastronomy, festive events, etc.). They regularly organise training (hunting courses, courses in taxidermy and the making of hunting artefacts) and events to keep the traditions alive. A part of showing hunting to
the greater public is the organising of hunters' festivals: e.g. the annual Mednieku festivals Minhauzens in Latvia (the 12th being organised by FACE's Latvian Association in 2010), bringing together hunters and non-hunters to share knowledge about hunting. FACE's Slovak Association organised the annual Hunting Days in Levice (this year for the 15th time), where representatives from the State and Town Council, and a large
number of visistors could admire exhibitions about nature and animals and the presentation and science on hunting trophies. Seminars are organised to promote and inform about specific traditions in the domain of hunting, like the one on hunting with hounds in Chambourg, France, in June 2009, or the one on game-meat in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 2009. In Italy and France and other Mediterranean countries hunters
organisations hold bird regular calling competitions.

Hunting as a intangible cultural heritage is being described by FACE and its Members in Ibooks and films: e.g. the role of hunters as holders of certain cultural values in society is described by our Swedish Association in the short film "Ett satt att leva" - "A way of living". Similar actions are carried out by most FACE Members.
Cooperation:
As mentioned above our Members, who are the representative hunting associations of 36 European countries, contribute to safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of hunting. As a Federation we recognise four broad social cultures of hunting in Europe as follows:
1. Anglo-saxon
2. Germanic
3. Nordic
4. Mediterranean

We as a Federation maintain dialogue and exchanges between these different hunting cultures and also with other rural stakeholders. Individually our Members maintain cultural practices in their countries in line with the standards and ethics of hunting. In particular they maintain traditions and practices through training and organisation of events - e.g. horn blowing, singing, story telling, bird calling, hunting terms/language and cooking.

It should also be recognised that hunters being both urban and rural based bridge the growing urban-rural divide and actively participate in important local cultural activities e.g. The Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations & the Slovácko Verbuňk, Recruit Dances.

Additional information:
Since its foundation in 1978, FACE, through various Members, has promoted and defended the practice, tradition and heritage of hunting where it has existed for centuries. As a Federation, our Members undertake to maintain aspects of their national hunting culture together with other rural stakeholders. FACE Members organise national exhibitions, contests and educational events related to their hunting culture. Where regions share similar cultures (Anglo-Saxon, Nordic, Central European & Mediterranean)
their Membership to FACE facilitates cooperation in promoting and safeguarding their hunting culture. At European and international levels FACE promotes this rich hunting heritage as shown in our Manifesto for the period 2009-2014. This is done through various means, but in all cases through drawing on the expertise and knowledge from within our Membership. Where the cultural elements relate directly to the taking of wildlife we work to ensure that these traditional socio-cultural practices are in line with
the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Articles 8j & 10c). We are aware that there is a need to cooperate in a spirit of mutual respect especially on heritage issues related to hunting, which can on occasion be divisive. In this regard we are engaging in proactive consultation to overcome conflicts, where they exist.

As a Secretariat we intervene when required to protect or promote the practice tradition and heritage of hunting. We regularly attend and lend support to national hunting events,most of which include significant elements related to the tradition and heritage of hunting.

Year of creation: 1964
Budget: U.S.$60000
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship
- other
- Flemish folk music, flag waving, traditional costumes

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Belgium

Objectives:
PEOPLE
IVV is a partner to all active participants, organisations and people interested in Flemish Folk Art. Up to now all publications have been made in Flemish (Dutch), but in the near future cooperation will be sought on an international level for publishing.
The members of the IVV are experienced practitioners of folk dance, folk music, flag waving and traditional fashions. IVV is an open organisation with no restriction as to people, politics or geographical boundaries.
PRODUCT
Folk art includes every culturally precious ‘product’ from a living ethnic community. It can also be considered as all kind of art emerging from a community. Flemish folk art belongs to Flemish Folklore within the immaterial cultural heritage of Flanders. ‘Flemish’ refers to what has been traceable within the larger Flemish historical communities (= within the Belgian, French and Dutch context). IVV concentrates on traditional (= at least 50 years existence) and contemporary folkdances, folk music, flag waving and traditional fashions.
PROCESS
IVV consists of four working parties dealing with:
(1) the study of dances and dancing music;
(2) the study flag waving
(3) the study of traditional fashions
(4) communication: a.o; editing the quarterly journal.
All working parties are meeting at least 6 times a year and their members are working on publications in the field.
IVV is a non profit organisation. It has a general committee and a general assemblee.
IVV is officially recognized by the Flemish Government and receives a annual budget of
40,000 euro. IVV has one part-time staff member.
Activities:
Main activities of IVV are concentrating on collecting, archiving, studying, translating,
reworking, publishing and teaching about folkdances, flag waving sequences, songs and
description of traditional fashions. Study is based on oral and written sources in Flanders
as well as abroad. IVV is co-operating with partner organizations within the field for study
and organizing courses and interactive workshops and for enabling the exploration of
archives.
FOLK DANCE
From 1964 until now 18 books were published. They cover 160 traditional Flemish
dances. Another 10 editions have been made with dances recently designed in folk
dance groups. One edition deals with terminology and vocabulary used to describe the
dances. All editions instruct the reader with historical background, description, music and
figures or drawings of dances. The working party on Flemish folk dances is also involved
in courses and interactive workshops.
Activities are actually focused on historical elements and dances within the traditional
archery guilds, study and visualization of variations on basic dances like polka, scottish,
mazurka, walzer and quadrille and editing newly created dances. The main challenge for
the working party is to keep folk dance attractive and to guarantee quality in performing.
FLAG WAVING
A basic handbook about the historical background and the technique of flag waving was
published in 1974. Six other editions cover specific flag waving sequences, a part is
historically based, another part comprise newly created combinations. This working party
made an edition with vocabulary and terminology of flag waving and another edition
about drum playing when accompanying the flag waving.
Actually new creations are noticed and recorded. The working party on flag waving has
its annual instructive course and is co-operating with partner organizations to spread the
culture and technique of flag waving within these organizations.
TRADITIONAL FASHIONS
A first standard work on local fashions in Flanders was published in 1994, the subject
being part of the ‘submerged cultural heritage’. It deals with local traditional costumes, a
fashion that’s always 50 years behind. A great deal of information on the development of
this clothing was obtained from paintings, drawings, description of people from the
recent past. In this book attention is devoted mainly to the period between 1750 and
1950, with an occasional glance back at the 16th and 17th centuries. A second edition
will appear in 2009. It will deal with thematic aspects (particular clothing elements),
geographical differences in clothing and the social role of clothing with special attention
to multicultural influences.
COMMUNICATION
The working party started its activities officially in 2008. It deals with diverse aspects of communication. Challenges for this working party are the content of the quarterly journal and renewal of its lay-out. By optimizing the opportunities of the website and translating the texts disseminated in at least four languages this medium must enable IVV to spread its information across Europe.
Cooperation:
The number of groups dealing with intangible cultural heritage is high in Flanders, due to individual, historical and political reasons. From its origin IVV has co-operated with different federations and organisations without any restriction. There is a large representation of these bodies within the working parties of IVV and within its
membership. Up to now there are no structural or ideological conflicts hampering cooperation of IVV with partners in the sector.
In July 2008, IVV presented a feasibility study to the Flemish Government about the role it could fulfil as intangible cultural heritage organisation in the Flemish community. A structural interview was carried out with 16 partner organisations. These interviews were written down verbatim, analysed on keywords grouped in a code book and clustered.
Additionally an inquiry was sent to 34 other partner organisations of which 62% responded. These inquiries were also analysed and the results qualitatively studied. This feasibility study gives us a clear view on the tasks and the responsibilities of IVV within the sector of intangible cultural heritage. According to the interviewees and the
inquired partner organisations IVV is regarded as a centre of excellence with regard to the study of traditional and contemporary Flemish folkdance (+ related songs and music), flag waving and fashions. It is expected that IVV collaborates within the sector for its research and that it will continue to spread the findings through the partner
organisations by publications, visualising, courses and interactive working parties.
Several partners offered to mediate in the multicultural approach of comparatively studying symbols and rites as well as outing of dance, song, music and fashions on the national and European level. The challenge of making the collaboration structurally visible within the sector of intangible cultural heritage can be met if IVV succeeds to get more staff and budget. As a direct consequence of the feasibility study, the above mentioned findings were translated into strategic and operational objectives and submitted to the Cultural Department of the Flemish Government.

Year of creation: 1967
Domain(s):

- social practices, rituals and festive events

Safeguarding measures:

- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement

Objectives:
1. To represent falconry throughout the world. Falconry is the traditional sport of taking quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of trained birds of prey. It is a hunting art.
2. To preserve and encourage falconry within the context of sustainable use of wildlife.
3. To encourage conservation, the ecological and veterinary research on birds of prey and promote, under scientific guidance, domestic propagation for falconry.
4. To develop, maintain and amend national and international laws, treaties and conventions to permit the pursuit and perpetuation of falconry.
5. To require the observation of falconry, hunting, conservation and welfare laws, regulations, traditions and culture with regard to the taking, import, export and keeping of birds of prey, the taking of quarry species and the right of access to land in the country concerned.
6. To promote and uphold a positive public image of falconry with specialist organisation, which regulate or otherwise affect falconry.

Activities:
The IAF is a non-profit international association, which represents 69 falconry Member Organizations from 48 nations whose total membership exceeds more than 30,000 individuals worldwide. Regarding active membership, which forms a community linked by the desire to pursue the objectives for which it was established, the IAF Officers, Advisory Committee, and Council of Delegates meet at its Annual General Meeting to discuss matters of the association.
Representatives of the IAF have been active as members of the board of directors, participants and supporters of the Archives of Falconry (USA) and the Falconry Heritage Trust (UK). Many representatives of the IAF made presentations on the cultural tradition and history of falconry in their respective nations at the international conference held on September 12-15, 2005 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the proposal of falconry as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. In July 2007, the IAF, along with many of its Member Organizations, attended the Festival of Falconry, in Reading, England, which united and presented the heritage of falconry for UNESCO recognition for representatives and interested festival attendees. The IAF will attend another Festival Falconry to be held for the same purpose in 2009. In November 2006, the entire Council of Delegates visited the Archives of Falconry where the greatest collection of falconry heritage materials exists in a single location in the world. The collection includes paintings, books, documents, and other literature, artifacts, and also the Memorial Sing dedicated to the memory of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, which depicts the culture, tradition, and heritage of Bedu falconry in the Arabian Gulf.

Cooperation:
Over many years the IAF, through various representatives, has intervened to protect the practice, tradition, and heritage of falconry where it has existed for centuries. IAF representatives have met with falconers, local, regional, and national government authorities, and at the international level in the European Union. We have provided expert advice in law and regulation, cultural practices, and heritage history, conservation and biological information, where appropriate, in the following countries most recently: Belgium, China, Denmark, Estonia, Kazakhstan, PMalta, Morocco, Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UAE, and USA. Because many falconers of the world rely on birds of prey produced in captivity, we have intervened to encourage and support captive propagation throughout the world, including in Europe and North America. Similarly, where local falconers rely on raptors harvested from naturally occurring wild populations, the IAF has intervened to support wild harvest on the principle of sustainable use, as part of the nations' cultural and traditional practice of falconry.

Year of creation: 1997
Budget: U.S.$35000
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship
- other
- 'Lace in Flanders' also promotes lace making as contemporary textile art

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization
- other
- Cataloguing and conservation storage

Main countries where active:

Belgium, Germany, Netherlands

Objectives:
The non profit organisation “Lace in Flanders” (Kant in Vlaanderen) was founded in 1997 with the purpose of safeguarding the craft of needle and bobbin lace making and related techniques. The association has officially been acknowledged by the Flemish Government as a representative for lace and the craft of lace making and as such acts as its spokesperson.
"Lace in Flanders" is an organisation being led by highly motivated volunteers, mainly (but not exclusively) women, driven by a will to preserve this precious and historic tradition.
The Organization takes measures, through formal and informal education, to ensure the continuation and revitalisation of all aspects of lace and lace making, this includes identification, documentation, historical research, storage, preservation, conservation and promotion.
Needle and bobbin lace making, and various related techniques, are traditional crafts which have been passed on from generation to generation. The craft of lace making in Flanders has been constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, and their historical background, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
‘Lace in Flanders’ is coordinating, optimising and stimulating many initiatives concerning the endangered intangible cultural heritage of needle- and bobbin lace making and the various related techniques. The organisation encompasses the academies, schools, centres, local organisations, and individuals interested in the traditional craft of lace making and its wide variety of aspects.
The organisation has competence to support the efforts which need to be made regarding the scientific studies of lacemaking and the improvement of the quality of the working techniques. It supports the academies, schools and associations promotes their activities at home and abroad.
“Lace in Flanders” organises exhibitions at home and abroad as well as lace contests for youth and adults for the promotion of lace as a creative skill. It organises workshops and lectures. Studies and research with respect to lace are supported and encouraged. Members and stakeholders are informed through the quarterly bulletin “FILUM”.
Activities:
“Lace in Flanders” (Kant in Vlaanderen) treasures lace and lacemaking as an important intangible cultural heritage for Flanders, Europe and the World. The art of lacemaking is a valued craft with a long and important textile and social history. Starting simultaneously in Flanders and Italy in the early 16th C the craft has been passed down through the generations and has been, and still is constantly updated by designers and lacemakers . Despite industrialisation in the 19th Century this handcraft has spread throughout the world, and is still practised by thousands of lacemakers in many countries.
“Lace in Flanders” encourages and co-ordinates the study and the practice of all types of bobbin and needle lace, both traditional and contemporary. It stimulates contacts between lacemakers in Flanders and abroad in order to maintain and spread the old traditions, and to encourage contemporary creations.
According to its constitution “Lace in Flanders” aims to promote and co-ordinate the study, practice, and technical quality of bobbin and needle lace and related techniques, in both traditional and contemporary art creations.
Workgroups composed of highly motivated volunteers are active for the benefit of “Lace in Flanders”, its membership and stakeholders. To obtain its goals “Lace in Flanders” organises the following activities in both Flanders and abroad, covering a wide variety of topics concerning this valuable craft.
- History of lace and Lacemaking: “Lace in Flanders” maintains contacts with universities, research centres and lace experts in Flanders and abroad , aiming at extensive studies appertaining to lace history, and the spreading of the craft in various regions of the world. Reports of the research are published in a quarterly magazine ‘Filum’ which is sent to members.
The Organisation has a library, for the use of its members and researchers, with a large number of books and magazines relating to lace, lacemaking and other related topics.
- Education and Networking: “Lace in Flanders” is in contact with formal and non-formal educational establishments in order to revitalise the various aspects of the cultural heritage of lace. Lace Organisations are encouraged to provide courses and workshops for both adults and young people in order to spread the knowledge of the various and famous old Flemish lace techniques. Training programs in lace making techniques are organised for teachers, to guarantee the quality of the education provided.
Identification and conservation: many individuals, groups, churches and convents in Flanders own collections of valuable laces. “Lace in Flanders” is making a concerted effort to trace these collections, to support the owners with identification, cataloguing and providing information on storage, conservation and restoration.
- Contemporary Lace: Famous artists in contemporary lace are employed to lead workshops, courses and Lectures. Projects for contemporary lace design are provided to maximize the opportunity for international exchange and collaboration. Exhibitions of new creations are organised and have been staged not only in Belgium, but also in Barcelona, Spain; Kiskunhalas, Hungary; Minsk, Belarus; Vianen, The Netherlands and Cologne, Germany.
- Lace Museum: “Lace in Flanders” is managing its own Lace Museum in Sint-Truiden. The Museum was opened in 1970 in the historical building owned by the Ursaline Sisters. The Sisters have had a tradition of lace education for over a hundred years. In order to continue this tradition, and on request of the sisters “Lace in Flanders” provides lace education and workshops in this historical building. The museums display decorative lace pieces designed and executed by the sisters of the convent during the period of the revivs of lacemaking in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Communication: The journal ‘Filum’ is published four times a year containing many articles about the history of different types of lace and lace in other countries.
Cooperation:
“Lace in Flanders” has officially been acknowledged by the Flemisch Government as a representative organisation for the intangible cultural heritage of lace, lace making and related techniques.
Safeguarding programmes are the core business of the organisation. Therefore “Lace in Flanders” co-operates with museums (c), experts (b), national (a), and international (d) organisations.
a) “Lace in Flanders”” operates in close contact with FARO. Flemish interface centre for cultural heritag (FARO. Vlaams steunpunt voor cultureel erfgoed vzw).
“Lace in Flanders” participates in national events such as ‘Erfgoeddag’ (Heritage day)
“Lace in Flanders” collaborates with the education department of the Flemish Government in order to set up programs for lace making courses for teachers in formal and non formal education.
“Lace in Flanders” co-operates with church communities, convents and private collectors of lace and advises them about storage conservation and cataloguing.
“Lace in Flanders” organises demonstrations with practitioners in order to promote the intangible cultural heritage of lace. “Lace in Flanders” organises also seminars for lace schools, organisations, groups and individual practitioners of the craft.
Information and news-letters are sent to stakeholders by e-mail.
b)“Lace in Flanders” has close contacts with experts from lace, textile and fashion museums such as Musea Brugge; Bruges, Vlasmuseum, Kortrijk (Flax museum Courtrai), Lace and Costume Museum, Brussels; MOMU, Antwerp.
c) “Lace in Flanders” has set up projects with museums in Belgium:
- National Flax and Linen Museum
- International Lace Contest for adults: ‘Linum’ 2004
- International Lace Contest for youth : ‘In space’ 2007
- Brugge Museum
- Seminar : Lace History, Lace as inspiration for design
d) “Lace in Flanders” has also set up projects with similar organisations in European Countries:
- Generalitat de Catalunya: Lace exhibition with contemporary lace from artists in Flanders (exchange program with the University of Barcelona)
-“Lace in Flanders” is in contact the centre for needle lace making in Kiskunhallas, Hungary
- LOKK - National Lace Organisation in the Netherlands)
- Forum Alte Spitze - Germany (Forum for Vintage Laces)
- “Lace in Flanders” is in contact with the Catalan Association of Lace makers and aims at organising an exchange program between lace makers of both regions, Flanders and Catalunia.

Year of creation: 1997
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Belgium

Objectives:
PARCUM, museum and expertise centre for religious art and culture, was founded in 1997 as a non-profit organisation with the aim of taking care of the religious heritage of the different religions and worldviews in Flanders and Brussels, Belgium. PARCUM uses an integral and transversal heritage approach. Through an integrated approach, PARCUM takes on all steps in the care of religious heritage, from inventory to valuation and selection to valorisation and the active search for a new future for religious heritage. The transversal approach across the different heritage types ensures that PARCUM always takes into account immovable, movable and intangible heritage when caring for the heritage of a church, monastery or house of prayer ( of different religions and worldviews) . Dialogue is at the heart of PARCUM's work. Religious heritage is a multilayered heritage with different meanings according context and audience. Because of this great diversity of perspectives and opinions on religious heritage, 'dialogue' is a key concept. Dialogue helps to deal meaningfully with religious heritage in today's secularised, multi-religious and super-diverse society. Multi-voicedness and multiculturalism are important pillars in the functioning of PARCUM.
Cooperation:
Participation of heritage communities is at the heart of PARCUM's intangible heritage work. PARCUM always works with and for heritage communities. The voice of the heritage communities is decisive in the development of immaterial heritage policy and management in our NGO. The safeguarding programs are always drawn up together with the heritage communities.
PARCUM also attaches great importance to enhance cross-fertilisation between heritage communities. In this way, heritage communities, groups, and individuals can exchange expertise and strengthen each other in the safeguarding of intangible heritage. To this end, PARCUM facilitates networks of heritage communities (e.g. procession organisers, volunteer Maria caves, organisers of St. Anthony's celebrations, associations of nativity scene builders, organisers of iftar meals, etc.).

Year of creation: 1975
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main countries where active:

Belgium

Objectives:
Le Musée international du carnaval et du masque à Binche a été créé dans le but de présenter des collections de masques, accessoires et costumes, limitées au départ au folklore local, et très vite étendue aux traditions masquées mondiales, dans le but d'approfondir les connaissances sur les origines et les rôles fondamentaux des traditions masquées. La collecte et la conservation des pièces, de même que leur étude scientifique, leur présentation et leur diffusion auprès du public sont les objectifs principaux du musée, qui à travers ces activités, participe à mettre en valeur et approfondir les connaissances du patrimoine immatériel de l'humanité.
Activities:
Les activités du musée sont centrées autour de l'acquisition, la recherche, la conservation et la présentation au public des pièces de collection.
Cooperation:
La politique d'achat du musée s'accompagne généralement de visites et recherches de terrain, ainsi que d'entretiens et de témoignages oraux, effectues par l'équipe du musée ou par l'intermédiaire d'un chercheur. Dans les deux cas, l’esprit de respect mutuel est prédominant avec les communautés, les groupes et les individus qui sont à l'origine de la production des traditions masquées étudiées. Le fondateur et premier directeur du musée, Samuei Glotz, ainsi que les deux directeurs qui lui ont succédé (Michel Revelard et Christel Deliege, actuelle directrice), ont toujours été des membres très actifs de la Commission pour le Patrimoine Oral et immatériel auprès de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles influant sur une politique d'acquisition respectueuse des communautés concernées.

L'accord des populations organisant les festivités masquées est toujours demande quant à l’entrée de leur patrimoine au musée. On peut citer notamment l'exemple des lndiens Ticuna (Amazonie, Brésil). C'est un chercheur indépendant Daniel Devos qui, connaissant des indiens Ticuna depuis 1984. fut l'intermédiaire avec le Musée. Pour preuve des relations établies avec le musée par l'intermédiaire de Monsieur Devos. Pedro. !e chef du village des Ticuna, confia au musée une série d'objets ainsi qu'un courrier pour que le musée les expose avec leur accord.

Year of creation: 1958
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main countries where active:

Belgium

Objectives:
The Domain Bokrijk houses a large open air museum. Bokrijk is the museum in Flanders where in a 1-to-1 scale peasant houses from all over Flanders in open air are shown, preserved and studied. Through its unique collection of buildings, objects, churches, chapels, interiors, tools, its knowledge about crafts, rituals and practices in daily life and historical fauna and flora the museum wants visitors to experience what it could have meant to live in the countryside in what is now called Flanders. Through interactive means and media (theatre, music, word, images) and in an appealing and understandable language the museum aims to confront people living in the 21st Century with the way in which a former rural society - its people, dwellings, and daily practices - has gradually changed by showing them the cradle of the present. Moreover the museum wants to tease and wonder a culturally diverse public, to have them rethinking their own lives and memories and to make them sensible about the relativity of past, present and future. The museum aims to keep and upgrade the innovative methods it works with to achieve this mission for a socially and culturally diverse public.

In short, the Domain Bokrijk including the Open Air Museum Bokrijk aims a culturally and socially diverse public to appreciate, enjoy and understand the cultural (both tangible and intangible) and natural heritage since 1500 on the countryside in what is now called Flanders by collecting, preserving, protecting, researching and valorising aspects from the culture of daily life.
Activities:
The Domain and the museum has over the years, from its opening in 1958, created a substantial pool of knowledge on local building traditions, materials, techniques, crafts, tools, rituals and building and crafting practices in Flanders. This knowledge has been tested and proven in daily practice in the museum. There are three groups of personnel that are actively involved in these forms of intangible cultural heritage: Marc Jansen and Kristien Ceyssens, respectively head and architect to the technical department; Jef Brebels, Johny Lowet, Raoul Putzeys amongst others, respectively carpenter and wagon maker, thatcher, cooper and allround restoration worker; Raf Schepers, head of collections, and Hilde Schoefs, curator, who research the history of crafts and craftsmanship and the rituals and practices concerned.

The museum participates since several years in the work of the Interface Centre for Living Heritage (www.sle.be). In concreto this means the museum and domain of Bokrijk help preserving rare breeds of local historical livestock as sheep, cows, pigs, horses, goats, turkeys, …by breeding new genetic offspring. The person responsible for this program is Frank Libens, head of fauna to the technical department since 1996.

The Domain and the museum organised in 2010 the 29th edition of its Dialect- and Street Theatre Festival. Frank De Roeck, cultural worker and musician, is responsible for this programme. On Whit Monday a selection of traditional forms of street theatre are performed in their respective dialects by local groups from all over Flanders. Together with quality music groups, that bring a historical repertoire on replica’s of historical music instruments and in confrontation with more recent artistic performances these traditional performances are given a stage to present their work to a large, and socially and culturally diverse public. It is every year more difficult to attract quality performances rooted in traditional practices as these performances are partly looked upon as old fashioned and out of time. The museum considers it to be its role to safeguard these performances by giving them an annual stage.

The Domain and museum is known for its original and replica installations of historical games and play as for example archery, playing skittles, curling, 'struifvogelen', 'bikkelen', ... and for its array of regional and historical parlour games. Visitors can not only try for free parlour games and sports, they can also take the challenge to compete in teams in some of these historical games guided by a trained museum guide.The person responsible for installing this diverse programme in the museum during the last decade is Bea Vaes, head of the educational cell, who previously won her spurs working for what is now Sportimonium, the museum of sports and games (www.sportimonium.be).

Luc Frenken, historian, is responsible for the 1st person living history in the Haspengouw part of the museum. He researches food, clothes, habits, micro and macro history and brings this together in daily performances.

In 2009 the museum started together with FARO. The interface centre for cultural heritage in Flanders and other local organisations in Flanders in partnership with Alan Govenar (Documentary Arts inc, Dallas) an exhibition called 'Treasures in/from People', which will travel around Flanders in 2010-2011 accompanied by public activities (see below). It opened in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris April 2010. In the exhibition we try to translate the meaning of the concepts 'intangible heritage' and 'living human treasures' as defined by UNESCO in the 2003 Convention to the visitors. Americans from the National Heritage Fellowship are portrayed next to Flemish people who are passionate about their knowledge, practice or skill.
The kick-off of the above mentioned exhibition and tour is on July 18th 2010 when the museum organises the first edition of 'Passion & Tradition. Living human treasures in Flanders'. This day the visitors can watch demonstrations, performances, skills, … from passionate and skilled people concerning intangible heritage all over the museum. People can not only watch, but are actively invited to ask questions, to give it a try themselves in free workshops, to discuss the Convention in a debate, … A special link is made to the USA, as guest country.

On July 19th 2010 the museum organises together with FARO an international colloquium titled ‘Visibility, Awareness, Dialogue. Learning from elsewhere: the USA’. Guest speakers that day are Barrey Bergey (director of Folk and Traditional Arts, National Endowment for the Arts), Peggy Bulger (director of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress) and Alan Govenar.

Hilde Schoefs, curator, who previously worked for FARO as researcher and member of staff responsible for oral and intangible heritage, has taken the lead for these interconnected initiatives.
Cooperation:
The Domain and Open Air Museum of Bokrijk has a longstanding tradition of collecting, sharing, preserving and staging intangible heritage with and by both communities and individual practitioners.

The museum started in 2008 'Learning from the Past' where skilled craftsmen teach their skills and their knowledge on wagonry making, cooping and thatching amongst others in a one to one learning trajectory with a pupil. This form of life long adult learning is supervised by the Personnel Department of the Province of Limburg.

The museum shares its diverse knowledge on intangible cultural heritage forms and practices actively within a broader community of open air museums (AEOM, www.aeom.org), that meets yearly. Next to these official meetings the museum holds close contacts with several open air and other museums, to share knowledge, as for example in 2009 with the Open Air Museum of Arnhem, het Huis van Alijn, Sportimonium, and the Open Air Museum Kommern. In 2010 the museum was host to two delegates from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture making a study on the ratification of the Convention and the manner in which different countries, ministries and cultural heritage organisations try to implement it and translate it to the public.

As stated below 6c the museum offers yearly on Whit Monday a stage to performing groups of street theatre from all over Flanders. This is the only occasion where street theatre performances from different regions and different sorts are shown together.

Also mentioned below 6c is the first edition of the museum festival 'Passion & Tradition. Living human treasures in Flanders'. This day the visitors can watch demonstrations, performances, skills, … from passionate and skilled people concerning intangible heritage all over the museum. Individuals and groups that will share their expertise that day are amongst others Frank Degruyter (expert narrator), Guy Vandecasteele (expert puppet making), Magda Vaes (expert in breast feeding advice), the ladies from Kant in Vlaanderen (lace making), the Steltlopers van Merchtem, the ‘krulbollers’.

Year of creation: 2003
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- Project initiatives involving the community and civil society, networking and sharing expertise

Main countries where active:

Belgium, South Africa

Objectives:
Workshop intangible heritage Flanders as an organisation inspires and realizes vivid projects concerning cultural heritage and a contemporary approach of our collective intangible heritage. It aims to interact strongly with people in its projects, going to schools, youth centres, diving into the city life or the neighbourhood. Heritage education, diversity and public sensitisation are the most important dimensions in our mission. Workshop intangible heritage Flanders always tries to realize projects in a young, experimental and graphical attractive way so to function as an eye-opener for people who usually aren't involved into heritage themes.

As an acknowledged and subsidied organisation bij the Flemish Government, tapis plein NGO invest its expertise in networks in the professional heritage field as well as spreading heritage methodology in the civil society.
Activities:
Workshop intangible heritage Flanders every year realizes laboratory/experimental heritage projects in which civil particpation in heritage themes is the central goal. The focus or theme of these initiatives is always depending on the specific context (partnerships, locality, ... ) and on new challenges in the heritage field or society. Tapis plein this way realised during the 7 past years diverse neigbourhood projects, oral tradition projects, as well as wide travelling workshops and exhibitions UN-TOUCHABLE (2005-2007; on the theme of the UNESCO convention of ICH) and 'Never Enough' (2007-2009; on the phenomenon of collecting as a democratic heritage practice done by thousands of people in Flanders and about). In 2009-2010 our biggest project is Quartier Bricole, an ambitious project setting up shops, workshops, exhibitions, markets, ... all on the theme of 'rooted design' or: contemporary craftmanship with roots in traditional techniques, knowledge and forms.

In 2010 tapis plein vzw is also an active partner in the UNESCO project with FARO and Documentary Arts starting from the photographical and documentary work of Alan Govenar "Visibility, awareness and dialogue", whch was exposured in the UNESCO 'salle des pas perdus' in april 2010. For the Flemishg part of this project tapis plein NGO will be working with lots of partner organizations from Belgium and from Central-Europe (Croatia, Tsjechia) realizing masterclasses, public events, exhibition, etc.

The personnel of tapis plein are masters in art history, ethnography and graphism, and all have educational training above.

Next to the specific projects, tapis plein NGO travels around Flanders in its role as expert center for methodology on active and civic participation, helping and inspiring lots of museums, archives, local policies and more, to make up heritage practices that are participatory and enhancing democratic and community engagement of/for heritage.
Cooperation:
As described above (6), this makes up the very heart of the work of tapis plein NGO. We are in every project and every process of sharing experiences, driven by the principle that heritage is and should be a mirror of our diverse contemporary society and we are always looking for ways in which this spirit of mutual respect and diversity can be encorporated, enhanced and be shared in public initiative.