REGIONAL SEMINAR FOR EXPERTS ON IMMATERIAL CULTURAL HERITAGE
IN BULGARIA , 15-20 JUNE 2007

Organized by UNESCO-Regional Office in Venice and the National Office of UNESCO in Republic of Bulgaria , in Arbanasi, between 15 and 21 June was held a Seminar for Immaterial Cultural Heritage for experts from South East Europe.

The topic of this seminar was the condition of the immaterial cultural heritage in each of the participating countries, and also creation of national registers for this type of goods.

The goal of the meeting was more extensive informing of the Regional Office of UNESCO in Venice on:

•  the legal framework and the manner of treatment of the immaterial cultural heritage in the participating countries;
•  the legal inherences of the authorized entities for protection of the immaterial cultural heritage in the overall system for protection of cultural heritage;
•  the condition of this type of cultural heritage in its original environment.

The meeting was organized as a six-day interactive seminar at which, for certain conditions in the protection of the immaterial cultural heritage, presentations were given by experts, representatives from Republic of Macedonia, more precisely from the Cultural Heritage Protection Office and from the State Ensemble for dances and songs “Tanec”. At the meeting, experts from eight countries from South East Europe took part.

For the instruments of protection and their application in the activities of protection and also for the authorized entities (legal regulations; ratified conventions; National classification of the cultural heritage; the processes for identification and valorization) a presentation was given by Ivona Opetcheska-Tatarchevska, ethnocoreologist, associate in the Cultural Heritage Protection Office, in the Department for Intangible Cultural Heritage, while about the condition of the immaterial cultural heritage in its original environment and about the processes of reconstruction and revitalization of this type of goods, a presentation was given by Velika Stojkova-Serafimovska, ethnomusicologist in the State Ensemble for dances and songs “Tanec”.

Many issues and dilemmas with which the professionals in this field of protection are facing were covered. In addition, as acute issues were imposed the following ones:

•  authenticity , to what extent and fidelity are found the folklore goods in their original environment;
•  authors' rights for the bearers of the tradition; and was discussed the need of focusing of the protection workers and cultural operators towards the processes of:

• Revitalization and reconstruction of the more important folklore goods;
• Whether there is a single methodology for the protection of this type of goods.

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