Adopted in October 2003 and ratified by 180 countries, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage promotes the safeguarding of the knowledge and know-how necessary for traditional craftsmanship. A tool of cultural diplomacy, it also rewards “cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events or even knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe. “.
Meeting in Rabat, UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, which above all honors traditions to be safeguarded more than the products themselves, announced that it had included harissa, raï and sljivovica on its list of intangible heritage. This list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity therefore now has more than 530 inscribed elements, 72 of which require urgent safeguarding. This Wednesday, it was the baguette that had the honors of Unesco.
The harissa, “unifying element of an entire country”
Harissa, a national condiment in Tunisia made from peppers, was therefore listed by Unesco on Thursday as an intangible heritage of humanity. The committee announced that it had registered “harissa, knowledge, know-how and culinary and social practices”. And what is harissa? Cooked from sun-dried peppers, freshly prepared spices and olive oil which preserves it and reduces its spiciness, it is found on almost all restaurant plates in Tunisia and is exported to many countries. . “It is perceived as an identity element of the national culinary heritage, and a factor of social cohesion, adds the committee. Prepared and consumed throughout Tunisia, harissa is perceived as a unifying element of an entire country”.
“As an integral part of domestic provisions and the daily culinary and food traditions of all Tunisian society, harissa is most often prepared by women in a friendly family or local setting, festive in nature, marked by remarkable community support. “explains the application file.
Rai, Algeria without taboos or censorship
Raï, a popular song from Algeria, was also listed as an intangible heritage of humanity on Thursday. A means of conveying social reality without taboos or censorship, raï addresses themes such as love, freedom, despair and the fight against social pressures.
Appeared in the 1930s, it was originally practiced in rural areas by deans who sang poetic texts in vernacular Arabic, accompanied by a traditional orchestra, according to Unesco. It was in the mid-1980s that raï exploded: under the influence of “Chebs” (young people), this traditional Algerian music from the region of Oran (west) was modernized.
This musical genre arrived in France on the occasion of a festival in Bobigny in 1986. The French public then discovered the voice of Cheb Mami, who, alongside Cheb Khaled or Cheikha Rimitti, would later become a world star.
In a few years, raï widened its audience, interested the major record companies. Cheb Khaled becomes the first North African to enter the Top 50 in the early 90s with his hit Didi. During the 2000s, raï gradually disappeared from the major television sets and regained its confidential early audience. He was also the victim of road trips (conviction of Cheb Mami for violence against his ex-girlfriend) and the rise of urban music. Raï was revived this summer by the phenomenal success of the latest title from the Franco-Algerian planetary star, DJ Snake, Maghreb disco.
Sljivovica, a daily “medicine”
Sljivovica, a plum-based brandy produced in Serbia, has joined the UNESCO list. The plum (sljiva in Serbian) is a national symbol there and the rakija (brandy) which is made from the plum, called Sljivovica, is closely linked to the life and customs of the Serbs. Fruit brandies are produced throughout the Balkan region, but in Serbia, sljivovica is obligatorily present on the tables on the occasion of births, baptisms, weddings, family celebrations and celebrations as a whole and during deaths.
Sljivovica is eaten fresh, but also as a hot drink, especially in winter. In Serbia it is called Sumadija tea, referring to a region of this country where plums are abundant. Sljivovica is also used as a daily “medicine”. A towel soaked in sljivovica will be placed around the neck to heal a sore throat. The soles of the feet are massaged with sljivovica to stem high fevers.
Every self-respecting family that can afford it produces its own sljivovica. It’s a matter of pride. More than 60% of plums in Serbia are destined for the production of sljivovica. In 2022, more than 470,000 tons of plums were picked.