In Korean traditional society, Jultagi (tightrope walking) was practiced as part of entertainers’ performances, where large banquets were held in administrative halls or noble houses on holidays. Jultagi, which was considered as the essence of Madangnori (traditional Korean outdoor performances), is a traditional Korean performing art that refers to “the players’ performance of comedy, musical storytelling with physical expressions on the bare rope in the air.”\n\nRecords of Jultagi dates back to the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). According to the records, Jultagi has been called by various names, such as Dapsakhee, Dapsak, Jusak, Bosak, Saksangjae, Juseung, and Yiseung, which commonly means “performing on a rope.”\n\nThe Jultagi today can be classified into two, the “Gwangdae Jultagi” and “Tteun-gwangdae Jultagi” based on the characteristics of the performers. The Gwangdae Jultagi was performed by Daeryeong Gwangdae, who were affiliated in the central or local government offices, while the Tteun-gwangdae Jultagi, which is also called “Eoreum Jultagi,” was performed by traveling performing troupes. The former one was designated as Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 58 in 1976, and has been transmitted ever since, while the latter one is transmitted as one of several performances of Namsadang Nori, designated as Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 3 in Korea.\n\nWhen it comes to tightrope walking, it’s easy to think of only the acrobat performing on the tightrope. However, for a proper tightrope performance, not only the acrobatic performer, but also the clown who stays on the ground and chats with the performer on the rope, and the musical performers who plays janggu (double-headed drum), piri(pipe), and haegeum(string instrument) and lead the lively atmosphere are essential. Only when all the players mingle with the crowd, Jultagi, the Korean performing art of communication and harmony, is completed.\n\nThe running time of the tightrope performance continues throughout the afternoon. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully organize the composition with acrobatics, chats, and music keep the audience entertained. Starting with the “Julgosa,” a ritual ceremony for the safety of the performance, Jultagi shows a variety of tightrope walking skills, from simple acrobatics to difficult tricks, inducing dramatic tension among spectators. Afterwards, through “Jung Nori” and “Walja Nori,” the dramatic tension of the audience is relaxed and entertained. Subsequently, the audience’s dramatic tension is once again induced through several acrobatics, and then the tension is relieved through the final “Salpan” ground acrobatics performance. Although there may be some changes depending on the performer or situation, Jultagi performances are generally conducted based on this order.\n\nThe traditional Korean tightrope walking is differentiated from other tightrope acrobats in that it does not only focus on the acrobatics, but also leads the playful atmosphere harmonized with songs and storytelling. Korea’s Jultagi, which has these distinctive characteristics, is unique and valuable in that both the performer and the audience communicate and harmonize together in a pleasant atmosphere in pursuit of inner freedom.\n\nToday, the reputation of Jultagi performances, which were as popular as Pansori (narrative songs) in the past, is losing its light in modern times. Occasionally, it can be found at local cultural festivals, but it is difficult to maintain its reputation enough to be labeled as a vulnerably transmitted element. Active endeavors and public attention are needed at the national level so that Jultagi, which has played a role in strengthening Korea’s identity since the past, can be transmitted to future generations. Above all, since the value of an ICH element is elevated when safeguarded and practiced, so efforts should be made to enhance the reputation of Jultagi through various performances considering the transmission environment of today. I conclude this article in anticipation of the day when Jultagi, which can give people a sense of freedom from the COVID-19, will be able to freely cross the sky amid the crowds’ cheers.\n\nphoto : Jultagi of Namsadang Noli in 2008. © Flicker account : Republic of Korea, Copyright information link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Relative to the creative economy of South Korea, the importance of the Eurasian Turkic states is growing. The reorganized resource-rich countries of the Eurasian continent, ancient nations belonging to the Silk Road, have established themselves from the beginning of the 21st century as political and economic powers in the international arena. CIS countries such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan were protagonists of the great Silk Road that linked the East and the West that had been cut off from each other in ancient times.

The Turkmenistan intangible cultural property comprises five domains that are summarised below:\n\n1. Oral expressions - oral folklore\n2. Traditions, customs and people’s beliefs\n3. Traditional performing arts\n4. Traditional craftsmanship\n5. Traditional knowledge\n\nEpics are included in the ‘oral traditions’ section. By now more than 10 elements have been identified in this field, including such epics as Gorogly, Shasenem and Garip, Zokhre and Takhir, Khuyrlukga and Khemra, Sayatly Khemra, Asly Kerem, Arzy-Gambar, hatamnama, Warka-Gulsha, Kasym oglan, Melike-Dilaram, Nejep oglan and Tulum Hoja. Gorogly occupies a special position among the abovementioned range of epics.

Ghiasuddin Pir & Meeza Ubaid introduces the activities of THAAP, the only UNESCO accredited NGO under the Convention 2003 from Pakistan, initiated the process of community-based inventorying (CBI) of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) among the Kalasha community. THAAP, in collaboration with UNESCO, funded by the Embassy of Switzerland, has worked towards inclusive documentation processes of forty-five intangible cultural heritage from the five listed ICH domains. Furthermore, THAAP endeavored at cultural education activities in Kalasha.

The Ramayana is one of the two greatest Hindu epics of South Asia, the other being the Mahabharata. The Ramayana, authored by Sage Valmiki, tells the story of Lord Rama (the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, ‘The Preserver’). Rama is referred to as Maryada Purushottam (the most superior man who embodies both divinity and humanity). The central message of the Ramayana is to demonstrate to worldly individuals how to lead a virtuous life that does not violate any laws of nature.

Singapore as a secular, multi-cultural, and multi-religious city state has had processions as part of its socio-religious fabric since the nineteenth century. Thaipusam, observed in Singapore since the late nineteenth century/and early twentieth century, is one of the most vibrant and longest surviving festivals in Singapore’s history.

Dibya Jyoti Borah, President of ARHI introduces the role of ARHI in safeguarding of ICH. Established in 2008, ARHI is collaboration of individuals belonging to the indigenous tribe, activist working for the cultural-educational rights of native people. It is a wider platform for all indigenous communities to discuss and reflect upon challenges and problems faced by indigenous communities as well as finding the best means to address those concerns. It is a grassroots organization comprising all small & big indigenous communities.

Bangladesh has utilized limited opportunities of international networking for safeguarding its distinctive and diverse Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereafter ICH) elements as the networking activities are still limited to only in policy framing and in discussions, files and trainings of the government officials. No effective measure has been taken so far by the government to safeguard the transmission process of the disappearing ICH elements, though United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (hereafter UNESCO) and some other development partners voluntarily have been providing both financial and technical supports to the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to formulate a national inventory of ICH and to take effective measures for safeguarding ICH elements since the beginning of the 21st century. But, so far the plans, policies and guidelines could not be translated into reality. Meanwhile, many practitioners have been giving up practicing traditional art forms, music, customs, knowledges and skills, which they inherited from the ancestors, because of poverty, lack of safeguarding measures, unplanned urbanization, disappearance of spaces, impact of foreign culture, and shirking of their jobs for ever growing popularity of satellite TV channels, gadgets and the Internet. This study, developed through primary and secondary data analyses, explores the causes those stand in the way to achieve the expected goals for safeguarding ICH in Bangladesh and also provides some possible solutions to the problems with the aim of capitalization of the maximum benefits from international networking.

The artistic world of traditional culture of Central Asian peoples is determined by contents that lie in certain historical periods and, at the same time, remain outside history. Contemporary science allows us to study the originality of the art of people in Central Asia, which is important for an objective reconstruction of the general picture of the art’s evolution. Historical and social changes cannot be studied without a clear understanding of cultural integrity and the perception of the artistic laws of culture and its context in this or that socio-historical period.

Epics form a considerable part of the cultural heritage of the Tajik. The oral epic traditions in the Tajik culture appeared and formed in the most ancient period of its history, originating from the mythology of ancient Iranian peoples.

Cultural exchange promotes cultural diversity and contributes to cultural sustainability. This was the key learning from the Communities Connecting Heritage (CCH) program supported by the US Department of State and administered by World Learning. Learning Together for a Brighter Future was a collaboration under this program, between banglanatak dot com, an Indian social enterprise working on culture and development, and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH) in Washington DC. Around twenty young cultural professionals from the USA and thirty-one young tradition bearers from the state of West Bengal in eastern India had varied exchanges on art, music, food, lifestyle, and globalization as well as the use of social media in popular culture. The Indian participants included traditional storytellers or patuas, who paint stories on long scrolls and sing them; artists practicing the ancient dokra metal craft; Baul folk singers; and theatre artists. There were also in-person visits to West Bengal and Washington DC by a five-member delegation from each side. The youngsters not only shared photos and videos explaining their culture but also discussed cultural sustainability; virtual workshops were held to develop skills in interviewing and recording, and effective storytelling. Finally, the Indian and American participants paired up to write blogs on shared interests and experiences; the subjects varied from discovering common concerns on raising a child to managing heritage sites. Commonalities were also found in the traditions, for example food items like sopapilla and luchi, and painting traditions like patachitra and retablo.\n\nDuring the CFCH delegation’s tour of West Bengal in February 2018, the Americans met the artists at the World Peace Music Festival Sur Jahan in Kolkata, visited cultural and heritage landmarks, and learned about community-based cultural industries. They also participated in a round table on heritage education for youth and an exhibition titled Through the Eyes of Young Americans that summed up their experience. From June to July 2018, the Indian delegation visited Washington DC. The city’s vivid cosmopolitan character, a mind-boggling array of cuisines, and a stunning nightlife mesmerized them. Engagement of community and the larger public in a weekend drum circle, weekly jazz concerts, DC Alley Museum, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival left a deep impression. The patuas painted a scroll on the story of rights campaigns at the National Mall; the audience loved it and the song narrating the story. On 13 August 2018, a webinar was held to share the participants’ experiences and insights. As the program drew to a close, it had succeeded in bringing the multicultural roots and ethos of America to the young Indians’ hearts and sensitized the young Americans about Bengal’s cultural traditions. For detailed information, please check the webinar below and the event’s blog.\n\nPhoto 1 : Learning scroll painting at Patua village ⓒ banglanatakdotcom\nPhoto 2 : Bauls discussing music on the move with Catalonian musicians ⓒ banglanatakdotcom\nPhoto 3 : Indian team at the Lincoln Memorial in the USA ⓒ banglanatakdotcom

Performed by singers in rural areas of the greater Mymensigh region and greater Dhaka region, Pala Gaan is a theatrical experimentation using a combination of indigenous references and timely rhetoric. Typically the shows begin with Guru Bandana (an artistic expression of showing respect to God and then to the mentor from whom the Bayati learned the performance). It is followed by Ashon Bandana (an artistic expression that pays tribute to the audience).\n\nThe lead singer of Pala Gaan is called bayati, who narrates stories, tales, and legends through music incorporating dance and dialogues. After a short musical prelude, the bayati starts narrating the tale. A group of choristers helps the bayati in the entire performance. During the narration, the bayati enacts different characters such as king, queen, prince, rural maiden, ghost, and animal using limited props. Pillow and scarf are typically seen as the props used by the bayati. Dohar, a member of the choir, helps the bayati by giving cues during the act. In an open stage performance, the bayati singer takes the center of the stage while the choir sits aside.\n\nIn Pala Gaan, the narrative is thickened by improvisation to make it relatable, giving the audience a time to think through it. As a result, a tale may have multiple versions depending on the taste of who performs it. Though ancient texts are central to Pala Gaan narratives, serious issues such as love, position of women in a patriarchal society, discrimination, and oppression can also be addressed. And when a show is held for an urban audience, urban issues, even the ones taken from global politics, can also be artistically twisted. Charming narrations and realistic portrayals of characters are special features of Pala Gaan, enriching the use of dialects and folk rhythms.\n\nPhoto : Islamuddin Palakar from Mymensingh, presents a Pala Gaan © Mumit M