Horses, fishes, chidren and Saracens: Short reflections on the intangible cultural heritage controversy

Recent discussione aboat the exclusion of the Palio of Siena from the nominatioris to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided hy the Ititi iati Government have raised questions about the limits to be respected and characteristics required for an element to he included in the Lisi. Accordine lo the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) the intangible cultural heritage is protected under the Convention itself only as far as it is compatible with existing international human rights instruments as well as with the requirements of mutuai respect among communities, groups and individuals. However, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has inscribed some elements on the Representative List which seern to be incompatible with such limits. For tnstance, in 2010 the Committee included the Spanisii Castells, human towers where the safety of the chiidren used for the uppemiost levels coidd be at risk. Otherelemenfs, already listed (e.g. the Sicilian Opera dei pupU or to be inscribed in the future (e.g. the. Giostra del Saracino of Arezzo), pose problemi OS they seent to perpetuate old confliets and resentments thus being incompafibk with mutuai respect atttong communities. Finali, the Committee did not consider some new valu.es which characterize some «communities», for instance the protection of animals. Unlike the Italian Government, which took into account the treatment of the horses for the Palio of Siena, the Committee disregarded the protests of animai rights organizations concerning the maltreatment of fish during the Belgian ceremony of Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand (inscribed. on the List in 2010). The arlicle deals with the possibility to strike a baiance between the different interests in compliance with the Convention and wilh the new values.