THE TOCATÌ METHODOLOGY FOR INVENTORYING TRADITIONAL GAMES AND SPORTS AS ICH ELEMENTS
Valentina Lapiccirella Zingari and Pere Lavega
How can Traditional Games and Sports (TGS) be recognized, documented, and strengthened as living community-based heritage? The Tocatì methodology offers a powerful, participatory approach.
Main Points
Making TGS visible and adding value as social, community-based practices
-
Normative framework: regional inventory & web platform (www.intangiblesearch.eu), national institution and platform
-
Community-based coordination of the inventory process led by Associazione Giochi Antichi (AGA)
-
Strengthening the existing thematic network of practitioners and generating new connections across communities, administrations, schools, universities, tourism, and policy sectors
-
Recognizing TGS as ICH elements in cultural contexts and landscapes — including rituals, crafts, oral traditions, music, and food practices linked to seasonal cycles
-
Producing diverse outputs: cultural maps, inventory entries, photos, audiovisual stories, short films, exhibitions, public presentations, and community events
Recommendations
-
Create spaces for sharing safeguarding needs and perspectives — take time to listen
-
Engage mediators and researchers trained in ICH methodologies — action research in a transformative approach
-
Support heritage-sensitive documentation and communication, including community storytelling and visual identity
-
Encourage community empowerment and creativity through local initiatives and network-based support
-
Involve policy-makers and institutions — ICH governance matters
-
Co-design long-term safeguarding measures with communities — awareness raising as an ongoing process
Challenges
-
Time dedicated to community expression and needs
-
Conflict management
-
Ensuring continuity in inventorying, networking, and safeguarding processes
A methodology that places communities, relationships, and lived heritage at the center of safeguarding.
