Cambodian youths holding a krama in Phnom Penh on March 4. FN
Cambodia will submit details about the Kingdom’s unique scarf – the krama – to UNESCO to request the UN body register it in their intangible cultural heritage list, an official said. The submission is expected to be entered by the end of this month.
Siyonn Sophearith, director general of the Directorate General of Techniques for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts told The Post that in the last two years, an expert commission had compiled about 80 per cent of the documents needed for the application.
“On March 17, the culture ministry will hold a workshop to review the draft application. The workshop will be attended by weavers, researchers, and a sampling of Siem Reap residents. The meeting will be the final chance to review the application before it is submitted on March 21,” he said.
According to Sophearith, on February 28, Thailand also announced their intention to submit the krama for inclusion on the list.
He said that although the application is for the same item, Cambodia is still welcome to apply as well, as UNESCO places no limits on registration. In fact, UNESCO encourages joint registration of all cultural heritages, so they can be jointly protected.
“Intangible cultural heritage cannot be owned by any one country. UNESCO encourages multiple countries to register where appropriate – many countries influence one another,” he added.
As an example, Sophearith pointed out that Cambodia, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam have been encouraged to work together to register the traditional tug-of-war game as a joint application. This meant they would all cooperate to preserve the game and keep the tradition alive.
He also explained that intangible cultural heritage must be preserved within the community.
“All registration requests must be made through the people of a community – the ministry just helps with facilitation and documentation,” he said.
He also explained that tangible cultural heritage – such as temples and other ancient buildings – cannot be jointly claimed. The governments of the relevant countries must manage submissions through the appropriate ministry.
