Tango dancing honored by UNESCO

how we live — By Bob Riel on October 21, 2009 at 7:20 am

We’re all familiar with the concept of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are natural and man-made destinations that represent the history and heritage of the world. Somewhat less familiar to most people are the newer UNESCO designations of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which honor such traditions as native music, dance, ritual or craftsmanship. This is meant to complement the list of physical sites, as UNESCO works to honor and protect the world’s cultural heritage. A number of traditions were recently added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, including the ever-popular tango dancing of Argentina and Uruguay.

The 24 members of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee of Intangible Heritage granted the tango dance and its music protected cultural status at its meeting in Abu Dhabi.

The designation may make Argentina and Uruguay, which both claim to be tango’s birthplace, eligible to receive financial assistance from a specialized fund for safeguarding cultural traditions…

Argentina and Uruguay have long been embroiled in a clash over the birthplace of the great tango crooner Carlos Gardel. They kicked aside their differences last year in a joint effort to persuade UNESCO to list tango among UNESCO’s traditions worth safeguarding for humanity.

India’s Vedic chanting and Japan’s Kabuki theater are among the dozens of U.N. protected traditions.

You should check out this stunning collection of photographs of tango that was recently published on Boston.com. Or go here for a full list of the traditions that have been honored by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.