Weaving the past to the present

Efforts are being stepped up across the Arabian Peninsula to protect ancient traditions protected for future generations

Women weave at the Al Haboos Arts & Folks Society festival to showcase and preserve the culture of the Al Haboos mountain tribe through poetry, cooking, singing and dancing in Ras al Khaimah last yearShow more

The UAE and Oman have increased their efforts to have a number of traditional pastimes, such as games, dances, and weaving skills, registered on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) list of intangible cultural heritage.

The move is not without precedent: last year, the list registered the UAE tradition of falconry as an intangible heritage at the intergovernmental committee for intangible cultural heritage of Unesco, in Nairobi.

The latest efforts by the two GCC nations comes as a leading heritage expert warned that future generations of Emiratis were in danger of losing their intangible traditions.

Dr Sleiman Najm Khalaf, who works for the intangible heritage department at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, blamed the rapid modernisation of the emirate and external global forces as having an adverse affect on the upkeep of intangible Emirati traditions.

Intangible traditions, Dr Khalaf said, were things that are not "concrete and material".

From traditions to customs, and traditional belief systems to rituals and world views, there are a number of things that can be referred to as intangible heritage. It is a term, he added, that was created by Unesco after the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Sadu, a form of traditional weaving, and Al-Taghruda, a form of Nabati poetry - integral in helping document history in the Arabian Peninsula for hundreds of years - were among the list of intangible traditions being presented to Unesco for inclusion in the list.

Speaking from a workshop in Muscat, Oman, where Adach's entire intangible heritage department is in the midst of a three-day workshop, Dr Khalaf reiterated the authority's plan to keep the UAE's impalpable traditions at the forefront for future generations.

"They [young Emiratis] are aware of their heritage but, as you and I and others know, the base and scale of change [that has taken place in the UAE] is so large that traditional ways are somehow slipping away."

"Rapid modernisation, global forces, and the presence of multicultural ethnic groups are all affecting the safeguarding of heritage as a living thing for the Emiratis," Dr Khalaf said.

One young Emirati trying to keep the old traditions alive is Shaima Mohamed, 17, a student at Al Nahda National School.

Miss Mohamed said traditions should be taught primarily at home. "As a young Emirati, I think that it's very important to keep our traditions alive around the house and not just in school, or stuff, because it's our heritage; it's our background."

Miss Mohamed, who has been taught traditional poetry by her parents, felt that her generation knew about most of these types of traditions, but that there were some, like how a young Emirati woman should behave when in the company of guests at her home, that they were unaware of.

"These traditions have started fading away, day by day, and, eventually, our grandkids won't know anything about them. All they will be left with is our conversations and memories."

"Around the house a father could, every time the family gather, talk about the old days, like how things were before petrol became a huge deal. He could talk about how life used to be hard, and how Emiratis used to find pearls for a living - because that's how they used to get money," she said.

In the meantime, Adach will continue to try and register as much of the nation's intangible heritage as possible, said Dr Khalaf.

"The UAE is in the process of doing a cultural inventory - an inventory of its heritage items - and the plan is to eliminate several of those every year and submit them to Unesco for safeguarding them as part of its heritage, and also as part of the heritage of humanity."

"Once these things are recognised by Unesco, it will gives them a boost and moral and international recognition. That helps in the safeguarding process," Dr Khalaf added.