Cape Verde can celebrate: Morna is already Intangible Heritage of Humanity

Cape Verde can celebrate. Morna is already Intangible Heritage of Humanity, with the approval of the dossier, this afternoon, in Bogotá, Colombia, during the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, without any objection from those present.

For several artists and performers in the field of music, this decision by UNESCO constitutes an important historical milestone in Cape Verdean culture, with emphasis on the morna as one of the important cultural manifestations in the field of national folklore - this genuine musical genre of our country passes , as of today (12/11/19), to also be intangible heritage across borders.

According to Inforpress, the announcement of the aforementioned measure was made in the presence of the Minister of Culture and Creative Industries, Abraão Vicente, who is also president of the National Commission of Unesco (CNU), and who participates in the event with a delegation formed by the president of the Cultural Heritage Institute (IPC), Hamilton Jair Fernandes, CNU executive secretary, Carla Palavra, and the coordinator of the morna's candidacy dossier, Sandra Mascarenhas.

The Cape Verdean delegation is also made up of singer Nancy Vieira and musician/composer Manel de Candinho, who, after the announcement, played two mornas.

Inforpress reminds that Cape Verde formally delivered Morna's candidacy dossier to Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on March 26, 2018, and for the study process all the islands of Cape Verde were integrated, since the Morna's representation deserves to include all Cape Verdean people.

On 8 November, Minister Abraão Vicente announced that the technical committee of experts from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had approved the Morna dossier as a World Heritage Site.

Speaking to the press, the President of the Republic, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, said that he received the news "with great satisfaction" of seeing Morna elevated to the expression of Cultural Heritage of Humanity, considering it to be a great victory for all Cape Verdeans and reason of party.

“It is a great achievement. We should all be proud of Cape Verde's achievements. These achievements must unite the nation and must be celebrated by all”, said the president of the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV, opposition), Janira Hopffer Almada.

The city of Mindelo, according to the Minister of Culture, will be the “heart of the celebration” when the morna is proclaimed Intangible Heritage of Humanity, says the source of this newspaper.