New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) A website documenting intangible cultural heritage of 17 indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh was launched on Tuesday.
The website was launched at an event hosted here on World Tourism Day.
The US mission in India has joined representatives from the Ministry of Tourism’s Northeast Regional Office and UNESCO’s International Information and Network for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific (ICHCAP) for this project, according to a statement issued by the embassy.
“In December 2021, the US had launched a programme through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation to work with tribe members from 39 villages across the state to preserve and document their heritage through a series of short documentary films,” it said.
The new website has been developed as part of the project on safeguarding traditional culture and lifestyle of Arunachal Pradesh, documenting the intangible cultural heritage of 17 indigenous communities of the state, it said.
The event also included films, performances, exhibitions, and demonstrations showcasing traditional culture of Arunachal Pradesh.
One of these films, “The Living Heritage of Arunachal: Beauty in Diversity” premiered during the event.
“As the United States and India celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, it’s important also to highlight the wealth of stories and experiences that come together to make our societies what they are today.
“The United States is proud to support Arunachal Pradesh’s culture, ensuring preservation of its intangible heritage,” the statement quoting US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in India Brian Heath said.
The event took place as part of a series of Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav (India at 75) and US-India 75th anniversary celebrations organised by Kolkata-based non-profit Contact Base in partnership with the Northeast Regional Office of the Ministry of Tourism.
Local field research was made possible by the Arunachal Pradesh’s Department of Tourism, it said.
ICHCAP Director General Jisung Kim said, “Safeguarding the cultural heritage of the communities is an essential and necessary requirement for sustainable development. “In addition, documentation and video recording is becoming important as a means of education for future generations along with the development of technology. Through film, we can remember and preserve the lives and voices of our ancestors much better.” The US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) supports projects to preserve a wide range of cultural heritage, including historic buildings, archaeological sites, ethnographic objects, paintings, manuscripts, and indigenous languages and other forms of traditional cultural expression, the statement said.
The AFCP is a highly competitive programme that receives proposals from cultural museums, ministries of culture, NGOs, and other organizations around the world for a limited number of sponsorships, it said.
Through the AFCP, the American people have invested USD 2 million over the past 20 years in the documentation, conservation, and restoration of 21 key historic sites and intangible heritage in India, the statement said.
Representative projects include the restoration of important historic monuments in the heart of the capital such as the Sunderwala Burj, Batashewala Mughal Tomb complex and the Arab Serai complex gateway, all of which are a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Humayun’s Tomb here, it said. PTI KND TDS TDS
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