Borscht and Whistles: The Intangible Art of Remaining Ourselves

© 2008, by Gouvernement des Canaries

What do Asturian cider, Nôgaku theatre, and Arabic calligraphy have in common? They have all been placed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a designation reserved for traditions, performances, and craftsmanship that form the heartbeat of human culture. While UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which protects architectural marvels and historical landmarks from decay over time, gained more widespread recognition, partially due to its eye-catching qualities, its intangible counterpart seeks to safeguard expressions of identity that exist not in an easily palpable form, but rather in memory, practice, and shared experience. 

Preserving a monument or a site may appear straightforward: maintaining the structural integrity of building foundations, protecting granite statues against the weather, and keeping ancient constructions from the prying hands of eager tourists seems like a simple enough task given the immense material and intellectual resources possessed by the organization in question. But how does anyone go about making sure that generations to come can enjoy a regional festivity or type of papercraft that their forebears did? Can the essence of cultural heritage truly be saved, or must it evolve with the passage of time? Should we even care? I hope this article can shed some light on the mysteries surrounding the preservation of intangible cultural heritage in an ever-changing world.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was established on the 16th of November 1945, less than a month after the ratification of the UN Charter. Since then, a number of important documents concerning cultural heritage have been published, the most relevant of them being the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on the 10th of December 1948. Within it are contained three articles related to the discussed topic with one of them (Article 27, Point 1) being especially relevant. It states that:

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the

community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and

its benefits.

From this, we can conclude that the conservation of cultural heritage should be of principal importance to us as one of our inalienable human rights.

Its purported mission to "contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion (...)" has since been acknowledged and furthered by other international organizations such as the European Union (EU) and The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

With the historical backdrop now set, let's analyse the intricate mechanisms through which intangible cultural heritage is preserved. There are five categories of entries: oral traditions; performing arts; social practices, rituals, festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and the knowledge and skills to produce traditional. Entries may be submitted in one of three sublists: Representative List, Urgent Safeguarding List, or Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

A recent example that springs to mind is the inscription of Ukrainian borscht cooking on the UNESCO List of Intangible Human Heritage in 2022. Along with being deemed "in Need of Urgent Safeguarding" it became the subject of a series of conservation efforts including the documentation of endangered recipes, and the organisation of gastronomic festivals featuring the soup prominently. As elements of living culture, the only way for culinary practices to persist through the centuries is to be ever-present, woven into the daily lives and rituals of those who uphold them. Maintaining such rituals becomes particularly difficult in situations of crisis, such as the tragedy of war faced by Ukraine. Furthermore, the fact that Ukrainian authorities immediately sought to safeguard cultural heritage in times of armed conflict proves that it is crucial in shaping national identity and fostering collective resilience. Culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking was deemed a case of extreme urgency as it is jeopardized not only by the displacement of bearers but also agricultural devastation. Safeguarding measures described in the application include the promotion of oral and literary traditions surrounding the dish, integration of borscht into educational curricula, training seminars, nationwide recipe inventory, and festivals.

The Canary Islands are home to awe-inspiring rock formations, beloved tourist getaways, and two assets recognized by UNESCO. The one listed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list is the Silbo Gomero – a unique local language whose form highlights the shared experiences of past generations and modern islanders. The language is entirely made up of whistles imitating the patterns of vowels and consonants present in Castilian Spanish it aims to replicate. It was initially developed to allow inhabitants of the mountainous La Gomera Island to deliver complex messages across vast ravines. Nowadays, it serves also as a celebration of heritage. Owing to its inscription on the aforementioned list, awareness of it has been brought to the global level, aiding its safeguarding by way of, for instance, its role in honouring the International World Heritage Day. Efforts have also been made on the local level, as the Silbo has been part of the island’s standard school curriculum since 1999. 

Certain traditions pertain to aspects of life that, while once existing beyond the reach of formal legal frameworks, nowadays must be carefully adapted to the evolving realities of modern legislation. In 2023, "Safeguarding Foster Care Heritage in the Merciful City of Geel: a community-based care model" was included in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. The Belgian town of Geel has long upheld a tradition of integrating individuals facing mental health challenges into the homes of foster families—a distinctive model of psychiatric care that fosters social inclusion while dismantling stigma whose origins lie in the 13th-century cult of Saint Dympna and pilgrimage rituals. Nevertheless, it had to evolve into medically supported practice and merge with healthcare institutions in order to align with the structure of contemporary society and achieve it while maintaining its nurturing and intuitive nature. At the moment of application, there were 135 foster families actively embodying the principles of psychiatric family foster care (PFC). The model was reinforced by a multidisciplinary medical team from the Public Psychiatric Care Centre, ensuring a balanced approach that combined compassionate caregiving with professional oversight. 

Just as the upkeep of physical heritage preserves the architectural and historical fabric of our towns and cities through the ages, efforts made to prolong intangible cultural heritage ensure that our distinct identity is inhabited and respected by progeny in spite of armed conflicts and treacherous volcanic mountain valleys. One cannot safeguard intangible heritage in the same way as they would conserve stone and mortar, as the former depends exclusively on active engagement, practice and transmission. Though not tactile, its safeguarding is vital, as it embodies the collective spirit of humanity and anchors communities in their legacy.  At times, as demonstrated in the previously mentioned instances, intangible heritage necessitates constant transformation and adaptation, reminiscent of the ship of Theseus paradox, in order to retain relevance.

Orest lyzhechka/Shutterstock 

Bibliography

“Safeguarding Foster Care Heritage in the Merciful City of Geel: A Community-Based Care Model.” Unesco.org, 2024, ich.unesco.org/en/BSP/safeguarding-foster-care-heritage-in-the-merciful-city-of-geel-a-community-based-care-model-00622.

“Silbo Gomero.” Silbo Gomero, 22 Nov. 2018, silbogomero.com/. Accessed 17 May 2025.

“UNESCO - Culture of Ukrainian Borscht Cooking.” Ich.unesco.org, ich.unesco.org/en/USL/culture-of-ukrainian-borscht-cooking-01852.

“UNESCO - Whistled Language of the Island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero.” Ich.unesco.org, ich.unesco.org/en/RL/whistled-language-of-the-island-of-la-gomera-canary-islands-the-silbo-gomero-00172.

United Nations. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, 1948, www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.

Photo 1, © 2008, by Gouvernement des Canaries

Photo 2, Orest lyzhechka/Shutterstock