THE REPRESENTATIVE List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UN’s Organisation for Education, Science and Culture, UNESCO, includes a new element: the traditional music from the Slovak municipality of Terchová. It was approved for inscription on the list at the eighth session of the Inter-governmental UNESCO’s Committee on December 5 in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.
At the session, seven Terchová musicians represented Slovakia, who demonstrated the beauty and originality of the music to more than 800 delegates from 100 countries, the Slovak Culture Ministry informed the SITA newswire. The prestigious representative list of intangible cultural heritage includes 257 items. The inscription is a form of international recognition acknowledged by UNESCO towards exceptional folklore and traditional elements like music, dance, national rituals and mythology, knowledge and skills concerning nature and the world, experience connected with traditional production, as well as a specific cultural environment. These forms of national cultural identity are also granted international protection. In addition to Terchová’s music, Slovakia has another inscription on the list: the fujara, a traditional musical instrument.
