The Portuguese-Galacian project “Ponte nas Ondas” was recognized this Thursday by UNESCO, in Rabat, Morocco, joining the Registry of Good Practices for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of that international organization, becoming the first Portuguese candidacy on the list .
The confirmation took place this Thursday at the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which has been taking place for days in Rabat, Morocco. .
In a statement sent to the newsrooms, the Ponte…nas Ondas! greeted the recognition of “a cultural program born in the Portuguese and Galician classes [que] was considered by UNESCO an example for the world”.
According to the text, UNESCO also highlighted “the commitment of teachers who for more than 25 years have been raising awareness among young people about the preservation of cultural heritage on the border between Galicia and Portugal.”
According to the association, UNESCO also highlighted that “the use of school radios, lusofonia, the rich legacy of cultural tradition” common to the two neighboring regions “and the success among the youngest promoted this educational program on the dissemination of heritage ”.
For UNESCO, “all this serves as an inspiration for understanding in cross-border areas and in developing countries.”
Also in a statement, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DGPC) congratulated the Associação Cultural e Pedagógica Ponte, noting that it was “the first time that Portugal has seen an application registered in the UNESCO register of Good Safeguarding Practices”.
The DGPC “highlights the importance of this cross-border projectrecognizing it as a meritorious example of how the communities of two countries have worked together in favor of safeguarding a common heritage”.
The Ponte… nas Ondas! was born more than 25 years ago in schools in the south of Pontevedra, in Spain, and Alto Minho, in Portugal.
Through the association of the same name, the work carried out was aimed at “safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage on the Portuguese and Galician borders, by creating spaces where heritage could be practiced and transmitted to the younger generations”.
The professor and coordinator of the Ponte…nas Ondas! Cultural and Pedagogical Association, Santiago Veloso, quoted in the note, said that the inclusion of the project in the UNESCO list recognizes “a trajectory of 27 years and a model created on the border from Portugal and Galicia, where heritage and school radio come together in a unique formula”.
Santiago Veloso hopes that this “historic opportunity serves as an inspiration for understanding in cross-border areas in conflict.”
The multinational candidacy registered this Thursday on the UNESCO list, presented by Portugal and Spain with the support of the Junta de Galicia, was formalized in March 2021.
Source: Observadora
