Tamara Nikolic Deric, facilitator for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
R.C.: What are the key messages of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage that have remained fully relevant to this day?
T.D.: The key message as well as contribution of the 2003 Convention to contemporary heritage practices relates to democratisation of culture in terms of community participation and the central role of communities in managing their own heritage. Still today we witness a low level of community participation in different heritage practices, therefore, I find this message relevant today but I also feel it will remain the central message of future heritage practices not only within the intangible cultural heritage field but equally in the conservation of natural and tangible cultural heritage. The second message which strongly influenced my understanding of cultural heritage and my professional development and which is extremely innovative and important today as of 20 years ago, relates to the changing and dynamic nature of intangible cultural heritage as a response to a wider natural and social environment.
R.C.: Would you identify such trends in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage as relate to the use of formal and non-formal education and are the result of educational policies and practices?
T.D.: Since 2018 I have participated in working with teachers, students, ICH experts and policy makers in drafting and developing materials for the integration of ICH in formal and non-formal education on a European level. The focus was on teaching with and not exclusively about ICH. In this way the heritage present in pupils’ communities gives context for introducing new knowledge making it much more relevant, meaningful and easier to comprehend. In parallel, students learn about their heritage and develop a sense of identity and pride which helps build self-esteem which I find critical in their sensitive age. The experiences I witnessed, mostly in Central Europe, are extremely positive both from the teachers’ as well as pupils’ perspective. They feel the lectures were enriched, contextualised and infused with different emotions. I strongly believe emotional intelligence is key for the future of safeguarding ICH as well as for sustainable education systems. Thus this seems a perfect match.
R.C.: Which are the highlights in marking the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the 2003 Convention and how do they relate to the dynamic changes in the political, cultural, social and economic contexts of the present day?
T.D.: The highlight of the 20th anniversary is definitely the #wikiloveslivingheritage initiative which perfectly blends two closely connected challenges in safeguarding living heritage- community participation and ethics. This initiative gives us an opportunity to further expand the modalities of participation and awareness raising about culture in the digital era but also opens up questions about ethics and representativeness within the dynamic heritage sector. These questions further reflect contemporary issues regarding privacy, fake news and all the different challenges the internet serves us on a daily basis. This initiative shows how the 2003 Convention’s stakeholders are always a step ahead in understanding the needs and challenges of the sector and how we all bravely and dedicatedly address these for the sake of safeguarding ICH in all its different forms.
R.C.: In what direction do you anticipate the future development of Regional Category 2 Centers in terms of the safeguarding, conservation and evolution of the living heritages?
T.D.: I see the future development of Regional Category 2 Centres in stronger support and capacity building of community members and practitioners. Further, networking and sharing experiences of local communities in a global environment by connecting different Category 2 Centres would be a significant step forward because we all share at least one big challenge and it relates to the future of our planet. Local, indigenous knowledge about nature is a glue that keeps us together, thus, a platform to collect and share the different experiences could be beneficial and would once again reaffirm the role of Category 2 Centres worldwide.
R.C.: How your personal experience in communicating with intangible cultural heritage has affected your professional growth?
T.D.: As a trained cultural anthropologist I immediately felt very close to the basic standards and concepts of safeguarding ICH. Still, the most important experiences started with entering the global facilitators’ network in 2017 when extensive international exchanges with communities as well as experts started. These encounters enriched me not only as a professional but also as a person. Today I feel I can give so much more to my own local community because of the knowledge I gained but also because by working within different cultural settings you develop empathy, understanding and patience which is crucial in working with communities.[:]