UNESCO Recognizes “Kebaya” as Shared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Five Countries
UNESCO recognizes “Kebaya” as the shared intangible cultural heritage of 5 countries for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for 2024
Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, the Minister of Culture, revealed that The nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: IGC-ICH of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO on 4 December 2024 at 11.40 hrs. (local time) in the Republic of Paraguay or at the approximate time 20.40 hrs. (Thailand time), will approve the inscription of Kebaya : knowledge, skills, tradition and practices, the shared intangible cultural heritage of 5 countries for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: RL for 2024. It is therefore a considerable pleasure that “Kebaya”, the beauty clothing of the South, will be inscribed in the same year after the "Tomyum Kung", and it is considered the 6th RL of Thailand, following Khon, masked dance drama in Thailand; Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massage; Nora, dance drama in southern Thailand, and Songkran in Thailand, traditional Thai New Year festival.
The Minister of Culture said that for the nomination of Kebaya, , the shared intangible cultural heritage of 5 ASEAN countries, originated from an idea led by Malaysia, which coordinated at the beginning of 2022 with Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, to participate in the preparation of inscription documents with the consent of the relevant communities The community of practitioners and representatives from the 5 countries attended the first workshop in November 2022 in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan State, Malaysia. They exchanged and proposed the measures to promote and maintain and prepare and support the information according to inscription forms.After that, he attended the meeting. The second workshop was held in February 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia and in online meetings with Singapore as the host to jointly prepare complete documents for the inscription before the submission to the UNESCO in March 2023 for the consideration agenda in 2024.
Ms. Sudawan also said that Kebaya is a shirt with a slit in the front. It is characterized by the decoration with intricate embroidery and lace and is worn with fasteners. It can be worn with a matching sarong or bottom cloth. It is part of everyday clothing on general occasions as well as on official occasions and festivals. Kebaya involves women of all ages, backgrounds, and religions from various communities in many Southeast Asian countries, especially in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and southern Thailand.Kebaya therefore reflects the shared history and traditions of the region as well as cultural diversity, and contributes to achieving sustainable development goals, such as quality education, gender equality, comprehensive economic development as well as peace and harmony in society. Kebaya is also a program that connects diverse cultures and communities together, promotes mutual respect, and contributes to sustainable development in various fields.
In this regard, the UNESCO committee also expressed its praise to the member states for the complete preparation for the documents and video presentations. It is considered a good practice for presenting a shared heritage. This reflects the role of intangible cultural heritage in peacebuilding and mutual respect between communities, groups, and individuals from each member state. The inscription of this shared heritage is considered an important step in Southeast Asia. In addition to pride, it also brings unity, mutual responsibility, and a commitment to the cooperation to promote and preserve cultural heritage in the regional level.
Also, to celebrate this historic achievement, the 5 countries will jointly organize parallel activities including an exhibition and fashion show of Kebaya during The nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asunción, the Republic of Paraguay.This will help raise awareness of the shared heritage and its relevance to contemporary society among the general public. It is also an opportunity for discussion and exchange of different cultures and joint efforts to promote, preserve, and inherit Kebaya to future generation.
On this joyful occasion, the Ministry of Culture by the Department of Cultural Promotion would thus like to invite people to join The Celebration of Tomyum Kung and Kebaya: knowledge, skills, traditions and practices for the Inscription on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 6-8 December 2024 at Quartier Avenue, G Floor, EmQuartier Department Store, Bangkok. In this regard, on 6 December 2024 at 18.00 hrs., Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, Minister of Culture, will honor to be the chairman of the official opening of the event. During the event, there will be a Kebaya fashion show, a demonstration of making Tomyum Kung by Iron Chef Thailand for free tasting of Tomyum Kung, a visit of the "Tomyum Kung" exhibition and the "Kebaya" embroidery exhibition/demonstration. There will also be cultural performances throughout the event. For more information, visit www.culture.go.th and the Department of Cultural Promotion's Facebook page.
ข่าวภาษาไทย : ยูเนสโก ประกาศรับรอง “เคบายา” มรดกวัฒนธรรมร่วม 5 ประเทศ
