Today-Nov 24
Singapore, together with Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand, will nominate the kebaya for inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, said the National Heritage Board (NHB) in a media release on Wednesday (Nov 23). This will mark Singapore’s first multinational nomination, and the first multinational nomination involving the four countries, the board added. The multinational nomination of the traditional women’s dress, which represents a significant part of Singapore’s Malay and port city heritage, and also reflects the unique blend of cultures in Southeast Asia, was first proposed and coordinated by Malaysia. “Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand agreed to work together on this multinational nomination as kebaya represents and celebrates the region’s rich shared history, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be present and actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia,” said NHB, adding that other countries are also welcome to join the nomination. The list was developed by UNESCO in 2008 and is made up of intangible cultural heritage elements from different countries.
It seeks to raise awareness of the importance of such practices and expressions, encourage dialogue that respects cultural diversity, as well as give due recognition to the practices and expressions of communities worldwide. To qualify for a successful nomination, UNESCO will focus on aspects such as how the kebaya is aligned with the agency’s definition of intangible cultural heritage, and how the nomination effort has involved the participation of the community in each participating country. In December 2020, Singapore’s hawker culture was also listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. This was also Singapore’s first listing. The NHB said that the four participating countries aim to submit the nomination of the kebaya to UNESCO in March 2023. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-among-4-countries-nominate-kebaya-unesco-intangible-cultural-heritage-list-2054546
