National Program for the Protection of the Art of Calligraphy
How can the process of documenting and compiling the file and registration of the “National Program for the Preservation of Traditional Iranian Calligraphy” in UNESCO within the framework of the mission of the National Commission for UNESCO-Iran and the actions of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts be evaluated?
According to IRNA’s Cultural Correspondent, since December 16, when the National Program for the Preservation of Traditional Iranian Calligraphy was registered at the 16th meeting of the UNESCO International Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, experts and activists in the field of cultural heritage and traditional arts have criticized the event from various angles. put.
“Calligraphy registration as an intangible cultural element is very different from the adoption of a calligraphy protection program, and the art of calligraphy in Iran has not yet been registered independently,” the event, which was criticized by media outlets for publishing Iranian calligraphy registration in the media.
This group of experts believe that “registering Iranian calligraphy as an intangible cultural element is very different from accepting the calligraphy protection program, this is stated in the official report of the UNESCO website, which is the title of a good program for the protection of Iranian calligraphy. The section on “good protection programs” has been introduced and has only been “accepted” by the International Committee to be used as a good experience by other countries.
But Mostafa Pour-Ali, Director General of Registration and Privacy of Works and Preservation and Restoration of Spiritual and Natural Heritage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, stating the types of registrations mentioned in the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), believes: It is technically higher than the previous two lists (the List of Endangered Heritage and the List of Identifiers) and registration in this list requires that UNESCO and its evaluation committees be convinced that the element is in good standing while coordinating with the objectives stated at the outset. Also enjoys.
“It was much easier for Iran to list calligraphy in the index, such as what Turkey or the Arab world did,” he said. But due to the importance of the subject and the dignity of this art in Iran, it was decided to register calligraphy in a list that has a higher technical level.
Chapter 4: The International Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2003, with three sections: IV. Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. cultural heritage at the international level which represents the intangible human heritage by the State concerned – Article 16 of the Convention, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity representing the intangible cultural heritage Article 17) and the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding” ( Article 18 of the Convention has created a new tool for the protection of this important aspect of human culture, the discussion and decision of which is the responsibility of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is a good case in point. Iranian writing is registered in this third section
Meanwhile, Ali Ashraf Sandoghabadi, Vice President of the Supreme Council of the Calligraphers Association of Iran, says that he has asked the National Commission for UNESCO-Iran to submit a report to the association from the beginning of the compilation process until the final registration of the calligraphy program file. Remove ambiguities.
He said: Iran has a history of 1400 years of calligraphy, Turkey after the tenth century through the Iranians have done work in the field of calligraphy, all these countries have applied for registration at the same time.
Report of the National Commission for UNESCO-Iran on the registration process of the calligraphy protection program in UNESCO
In the same context, the National Commission for UNESCO-Iran last week in a report on the registration process of calligraphy file explained that in the file, listed on the official website of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the program with the participation of 4 ministries (Ministry of Heritage, Ministry Guidance, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science) as well as 2 non-governmental organizations (Iranian Calligraphers Association and Modern Calligraphers Association) are held in Iran.
The report states: “The tradition of calligraphy has always been associated with the act of writing in the history of Iranian penmanship” that developments such as the prevalence of The printing industry, computer typing declined. But since 1985, it has been decided to prevent this from happening by developing a national program (with a 40-year vision to 2025) by the aforementioned governmental and non-governmental authorities.
The case states that “the art of calligraphy is among the collection of traditional Iranian arts” and that “the art and skill of calligraphy is among the intangible cultural heritage of Iran, which has a very long history.” Those involved in science, literature and art are also considered the people of Iran and the implementation of this program in order to preserve the tradition of calligraphy
The National Commission for UNESCO-Iran has explained in this report: The compilers of our country’s case have noted that “considering the existence of this tradition in other countries, especially Arab and Islamic countries”, paying attention to this intangible heritage can guarantee respect for cultures, avoid prejudices. Cultural interaction between countries, especially Arab and Islamic countries, respect for cultural diversity and strengthening creativity, which is in line with the objectives of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Registration of the “National Program for the Protection of Traditional Iranian Calligraphy” beyond introduction
Now, Shervin Moazami Goodarzi, director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center, has defended what happened to record the “National Program for the Preservation of the Traditional Art of Iranian Calligraphy.” Mikand has reached a model that can protect calligraphy in Iran, while the cases of other countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia do not have such a claim.
Moazami stated: First of all, I should point out that the inclusion in the list of “programs, plans, and activities for the protection of intangible cultural heritage” means that the element of cultural heritage in question, which is presented for that program, is also recorded in the heart of this file. And the sole task of the Intergovernmental Panel on Cases is to review the authority to register those files.
The director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center added: “This action is so important that UNESCO has dedicated a specific chapter to the protection of intangible cultural heritage at the international level called the protection of intangible cultural heritage in the international dimension, ie the fourth chapter of the convention.” . This chapter consists of three articles from Article 16 to Article 18. Article 16 deals with the inclusion of living heritage elements in the “Introductory List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, which only deals with the increasing visibility of cultural heritage elements.
Article 17 deals with the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Immediate Protection”, which essentially deals with the protection of the elements in question. Article 18 of the Registry is “Programs, Plans, and Activities for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.” The third type of registration is the most important and difficult, because the proposing government must, in addition to the safeguards, which are listed in the following cases, have a specific plan for its actions.
Registration of intangible heritage protection programs is much more important than registration in other lists
Goodarzi stressed: “In my opinion, the registration of programs and activities related to the protection of intangible heritage is much more important than the registration in other lists, because the government is committed to a specific program to protect the living heritage in question.” The important point is that when it registers a file in the form of Article 18, it means that UNESCO has accepted the existence of the cultural heritage in question, after which it has examined the relevant program and finally accepted it.
The Director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center stated: Pursuant to the first paragraph of Article 18 of the 2003 Convention, the Intergovernmental Committee shall be defined by the General Assembly on the basis of proposals submitted by member States and in accordance with established criteria. Periodically selects and promotes national, sub-regional or regional programs, plans and activities for the protection of the intangible cultural heritage which it deems appropriate to reflect the principles and objectives of this Convention. In this regard, it considers the special needs of developing countries.
He continued: “According to the third paragraph of Article 18, the Operational Committee accompanies the mentioned plans, programs and activities with the publication of successful experiences, and in this regard, uses the solutions that are to be set by this authority.”
Valuable action of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture to register the traditional art of Iranian calligraphy in UNESCO
Goodarzi said: “Such files are very difficult to prepare and that is why the number of such files in the UNESCO triple list in the 2003 convention is very small.” Of the 629 intangible cultural heritage sites that have been registered worldwide by 139 countries since the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, only 38 cases are related to the National Conservation Program, or about one-sixteenth.
The director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center said about the “National Program for the Preservation of Traditional Iranian Calligraphy”, which is the seventeenth intangible cultural element of Iran in the UNESCO World Heritage List: UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage is the first action taken by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts to write such a program.
The presence of calligraphy in the place of people’s lives
Goodarzi said: “This global record contributes significantly to the lasting stability of the Iranian calligraphy art and we can write a more serious program with the presence of experts from the Ministry of Heritage, Culture and Tourism, calligraphy professors and UNESCO experts to be published in English as a model for others.” The country should be placed on the UNESCO site so that other countries can use this program and localize it according to the conditions and requirements for their country.
Studies show that the file of the “National Program for the Protection of Traditional Art of Iranian Calligraphy” has well introduced the whole art of calligraphy and has announced its plans for this protection. This program shows that government agencies together with relevant NGOs worked together to write such a program that is comprehensive in people’s lives.
The director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center said: “According to UNESCO, the protection of intangible cultural heritage does not mean the freezing of this type of heritage.” This means that the living heritage is not supposed to be exactly what it was in the past, but with the change of life and according to the requirements of the day of the community in question, changes may occur in that heritage.
He added: “The file sent to UNESCO shows that in a way, everyone uses calligraphy. For example, in the textbooks of different periods, fonts have been used according to the Iranian script.” Calligraphy is present in people’s lives and there are many examples of it. The beauty of this intangible cultural heritage lies in its current nature, which has adapted to the current conditions, and with the creativity of Iran, this art becomes enduring.
Calligraphy registration by Turkey is only an introductory aspect
Regarding the inclusion of Turkish calligraphy in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Goodarzi said: “This type of registration that Turkey has done is only an introduction, while the registration of the” National Program for the Preservation of Traditional Iranian Calligraphy “is beyond introduction and the Islamic Republic of Iran in this case In addition to introducing the art of calligraphy, it shows that this art has a long history in Iran and is part of the intangible cultural heritage of Iran, that is, the art that exists and exists for which a program is written. There is a perception among some people as to why the Ministry of Cultural Heritage did not register the art of calligraphy in Iran, while this perception is wrong.
The director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center added: “The art of calligraphy is like a garden that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and their accompanying countries have only provided a picture of this park, while Iran has provided a plan for its permanence and greater visibility.” Is.
List of Good Guard Actions in accordance with the spirit of the 2003 Convention
He emphasized: “As the former Secretary of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Ms. Cecil Doyle, stated in an interview with Hannah Eshreiber and Lucas Lisinski, the list of good safeguards is in line with the spirit of the 2003 Convention and is the best.” It is always current and current, and with its registration, activities and trainings continue.
Goodarzi continued: “Considering that only 18 years have passed since the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, there are 180 member countries, which shows the speed with which this convention is being implemented.” None of the first countries to join the convention were European. Algeria was the first country to join the convention, followed by Japan, South Korea, China and Gabon.
The director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department at the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center said: “Although this type of file is more difficult to prepare than the other two types, I hope it will be considered more by the relevant managers because I believe that there are many elements of intangible heritage in Iran.” For which a national and even regional and trans-regional program can be prepared.