ICH: the intangible cultural heritage of Wales
ICH: the intangible cultural heritage of Wales
It seems that our intangible cultural heritage (ICH) may soon become better recognised and protected. But will devolution be respected in the process?
The UNESCO Convention (the Convention) for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) came into force in 2006, but was not ratified by the UK until this year. It is now being implemented here.
Heritage helps to define who we are. Heritage has an historical aspect, but can also be contemporaneous as heritage is (re)created. It can also be destroyed, forgotten, or unacknowledged. For instance, in Wales, Anglicisation has had a negative effect on heritage rooted in the Welsh language – although that same influence has created heritage in the Anglo-Welsh realm.