Experience on the ground

Patachitra is a type of scroll painting practiced by a unique community of folk artists who are painters, lyricists, and singers belonging to the Naya village of West Bengal, India. The tradition itself can be traced back to the 13th century; the scroll painting is called Patachitra and the songs…

The art of Chau mask-making originated in the village of Charida in West Bengal, an eastern Indian state around 150 years ago and is now home to 115 households of traditional Chau mask-makers. The masks depicting gods, goddesses, local tribals, demons, animals, and birds are traditionally made for use in…

Dokra is an age-old craft of lost-wax metal casting used to handcraft figurines, deities, decorative pieces, jewelry, and pots, practiced by specific ethnic communities in the village of Bikna in West Bengal, India. The hamlet consisting of 60 Dokra artist households who settled here in the 1960s is now an…

Vieux Grand Port, one of the oldest villages on the island of Mauritius, is rich in tangible as well as intangible heritage. The ‘Living Our Heritage’ project aims to revive both – the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of this village, attract tourists and ensure that the locals reap the…

Tocatì is a community-led, multi-actor movement established for the safeguarding of Traditional Games and Sports (TGS) as social practices and expression of ICH. TGS are living practices that exist in an informal environment, as part of daily life, and also in ritual and festive contexts.

Gori was one of the most important ceramic centers active in Georgia in the early 19th and 20th centuries. However, the survival of this practice is under threat as there is only one local artisan, Mr. Giorgi Tatulashvili who possesses the relevant skills and actively continues to create the ceramics…

Sagobygden’s Music and Storytelling Festival (formerly known as Ljungby Storytelling Festival), founded in 1990, is the oldest annual storytelling festival in the Nordic countries. During the 4-day affair, 50 storytellers from all over the world are invited to come and tell their best stories – old or new.