02247nas a2200241   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653003300043653004500076653001100121653001700132653002800149653001700177653002500194653002600219100002400245245009000269856015300359300001200512490000700524520145400531022002001985                                       d10aCultural identity (THE\_382)10aLists of the 2003 Convention (ICH\_1331)10aUNESCO10aVanuatu (VU)10aVanuatu Cultural Centre10aAuthenticity10acultural development10aHeritage preservation1 aMarilena Alivizatou00aDebating heritage authenticity: kastom and development at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84858228352&doi=10.1080%2f13527258.2011.602981&partnerID=40&md5=cd56e7ac43b16c67fd558b3ceebaaa9c  a124-1430 v183 aIn October 2003, 28 cultural expressions from around the world were proclaimed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, complementing the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. This proclamation has been part of the broader remit of the international organisation to protect the worlds cultural diversity from modernity and globalisation. Inherent in this is an underlying notion of cultural authenticity, implying that certain expressions, which are considered to be endangered and therefore in need of institutional protection, constitute original and pure manifestations of cultural identity. Taking forward debates on the safeguarding of intangible heritage, this paper examines cultural authenticity in the context of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre, the principal cultural organisation, museum and research institution of the Melanesian archipelago. The proclamation of the practice of sandroing (sand drawing) as a masterpiece of intangible heritage, and other heritage interventions taking place in Vanuatu and recorded during fieldwork in 2007, provide an interesting perspective for examining how global cultural initiatives are negotiated by local constituencies. Here, heritage preservation is coupled with calls for development, which invites new ways for thinking about authenticity not according to predefined criteria, but with respect to local understandings.  a13527258 (ISSN)