Technology, globalisation and mass immigration are rapidly changing societies across the world. So great, indeed, are the changes wrought by these developments that many societies are confronting the challenge of what it is that makes their communities unique.
These are not easy questions to answer. So much of what makes a culture and a society unique cannot be touched or even seen. This is what UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage serves to document and draw attention to – those aspects of culture that cannot easily be held but must be experienced.
Next year, the UAE will feature on the list for the first time with three intangible items of heritage: Harbiyah dancing, community majlis gatherings and Arabian coffee. These three aspects of the UAE’s unique culture can then be better studied, understood and documented.
Intangible heritage is more than merely customs or rituals. It is something to do with the experience of how people live. Take, for example, community majlis gatherings. Every Emirati, young or old, will be familiar with these gatherings, which serve both a social and political role. Historically, these gatherings were where decisions that affect the community were discussed and debated, where grievances were aired and indeed where young Emirati men first started to interact with those beyond their extended family circles.
As Emirati society has changed, so has the role of the majlis. Politically, decisions are now more centralised in the Government, but such meetings are still held regularly so that the leadership remains accessible. Socially, the majlis has expanded as people have moved for work or family. But there remains a centrality to these gatherings. They shape Emirati society and give communities their unique character.
Such intangible heritage, then, is essential to preserve the past. But it is also essential that they are adapted, not discarded, as society changes. They must evolve, to keep pace with a changing world, but also to provide a link with an important past.
