The traditional art of Jamdani weaving has been inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity this year.
The decision was made at the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage that began on December 2 in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, said a foreign ministry press release.
The committee examined 31 proposals from different countries for inscription on the list, which aims to maintain cultural diversity in the face of growing globalisation. It approved 23 proposals and rejected eight. Bangladesh’s nomination titled “Traditional art of Jamdani weaving” was approved by the committee unanimously.
“Intangible cultural heritage includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts,” says Unesco.
Earlier, the Baul song was included on the list in 2008.
A delegation composed of Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to Unesco Shahidul Islam, Bangla Academy’s Director General Prof Shamsuzzaman Khan, Bangla Academy’s Director Shahida Khatun, and Jamdani expert Dr Firoz Mahmud is representing Bangladesh in the conference, which will continue till December 7.
-With The Daily Star input
