Božo Biškupić, Minister of Culture
Five Stars Croatia Issue 4 — April 01, 2009.

The Republic of Croatia, as a Mediterranean and Middle European country, has many diverse cultural and natural goods. The 13-century long continuity of state and jurisdiction of Croatia continued even while being surrounded by various geo-political establishments. During that time, Croatia has kept its sovereignty and statehood, and Croatian people their identity.

In this complex historical, social, political and cultural territory and surroundings, Croatia has been an heir to the cultural heritage of great European civilisations, but also an active creator of its own cultural products of all kinds, whether unique or accepted from different sources and enhanced by the ingenuity of its makers.

The Republic of Croatia is one of the first states that ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in July 2005. Rather rapid ratification of this instrument and its coming into force is an evidence of interest in safeguarding of the intangible heritage around the world due to the threats of the new way of living and globalization.

Considering the correlation of the intangible and tangible cultural heritage and its relation to the nature, as well as the threats of the disappearance of the intangible heritage, the Republic of Croatia is making a great effort to develop an effective system of protection and safeguarding of the intangible heritage not only on national, but also on regional and international level. It is of its priority also to implement the protective measures in cooperation with other states parties to the Convention, in the light of an effective enhancement and fulfilment of the existing international agreements, recommendations and resolutions on cultural and natural heritage, together with the new ones on the intangible cultural heritage.

The obligation of safeguarding of the intangible cultural goods, among others, by encouraging their transmition and fostering them in places of their origin and further, as well as by making and storing the documentation about them, is proscribed in the Law on the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Goods adopted in 1999. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, its Directorate for Cultural Heritage Protection and Croatian Committee for UNESCO are active in the field of the intangible heritage protection and the promotion of its significance for further generations through inscribing the intangible cultural heritage on the national Registry of Cultural Goods. According to the 1999 Law, the intangible cultural goods may be various forms and expressions of spiritual origin transmitted orally or otherwise, especially:

- language, dialects, speeches, toponyms, oral expressions and literature of all kinds;

-  folk creativity in the area of music, dance, play, customs, ceremonies, rituals, as well as other traditional and folk values;

- traditional artistry and craftsmanship.

The 1999 Law and a special Regulation Book on the Registry proscribe the obligation and the process of inscription on the Registry of those cultural goods in need of legal protection to ensure their safeguarding. About two hundred intangible cultural goods have been planned for the inscription, of which seventy are already inscribed.

Croatia follows almost completely the proscribed UNESCO approach to the protection of the intangible cultural heritage, according to which the criteria for the inscription in the Registry were decided upon. This approach is especially implemented during the process of the inscription, as the bearers of the intangible heritage are deciding whether or not to inscribe the good on the Registry. They are consulted on other issues as well, such as planning and safeguarding measures, together with the relevant scientific and expert individuals and institutions. Prominent experts and scientists, as members of the Croatian Committee for the Intangible Cultural Heritage, are participating in preparing and deciding on the intangible heritage proposed for the inscription on the Registry.

The system of the protection measures includes:

- encouraging the communities and groups, who are the bearers, to participate in the identification, performing and transmition of the good;

- promoting the good through exhibitions, expert meetings, festivities, events, concerts, electronic media, audio and video documentation; ensure that the good be available to public;

- encouraging the transmission and fostering of the good in the place of its origin and further;

- educating the experts to transmit the knowledge via seminars, workshops, formal and informal education; continuing the research and documenting the good by the use of new technologies; expert and scientific valorisation;

- protecting the good from disappearance by recognizing those processes of globalization and social transformation that might endanger it.

The inscription in the Registry is one of the criteria that needed to be fulfilled for the elements of the intangible cultural heritage from a certain country to be nominated for the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Croatia has, after the inscription in the national Registry, nominated sixteen elements of intangible heritage for the Representative List in 2008. The results of the inclusion on the List should be known during 2009. The nominations were prepared in the Ministry with the valuable help from the experts from various institutions, such as the Faculty of Philosophy Zagreb, the Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Research, various museums and individuals, including the most important subjects in the nomination process, the bearers of the intangible heritage. The nominated elements of the intangible cultural heritage are:

Annual Carnival Bell Ringers’ Pageant from the Kastav Area

Bećarac, Singing and Playing from Eastern Croatia

Customs of Jurjevo (St. George’s Day) from Turopolje

Festivity of St. Blaise, Patron Saint of Dubrovnik

Gingerbread Craft from Northern Croatia

Lacemaking in Croatia

Preparation of the Traditional Dish Soparnik

Procession Za Križen (Following the Cross) on the Island of Hvar

Silent Kolo - Circle Dance of Dalmatian Hinterland

Sinjska Alka – a Knights’ Tournament in Sinj

Spring procession of Ljelje/Kraljice (Queens) from Gorjani

The Custom of Social Gathering Ličko Prelo

Traditional Annual Pageants from Međimurje

Traditional Craft of Making Thickened Coats Rekle from Gradište

Children’s Wooden Toys in Hrvatsko Zagorje

Two-part Singing and Playing in the Istrian Scale

The nomination process contributed greatly to the visibility of the intangible heritage in Croatia, with the results of initiating some important safeguarding projects not only for the elements nominated, but also for the other examples of intangible heritage in Croatia. It is of the utmost importance that in the future the safeguarding of many valuable elements of intangible heritage, which are spreading beyond the territorial bounds, is conducted in cooperation with the neighbouring countries, to strengthen, among other things, the other already existent intercultural dialogue in the region.