Global "Wiki Loves Living Heritage" campaign celebrates intangible cultural heritage in 2023
As part of the global campaign, a photo contest will be organized in Finland to make visible intangible cultural heritage, its safeguarding and practitioners. The campaign is organized by the Finnish Heritage agency in cooperation with Wikimedia Finland, European Heritage Days and the Federation of Local Heritage Associations.
‘Wiki Loves Living Heritage’ celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the 2003 Convention and relates to the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages. In Europe, it will also be related to the European Heritage Days under its 2023 theme year ‘Living Heritage’.
Wiki Loves Living Heritage’ is a participatory, community-driven initiative calling on heritage practitioners, Wikimedia volunteers and cultural institutions around the world to document and celebrate their living heritage. It seeks to combine awareness raising and documenting activities – online and on the ground – to enhance the safeguarding of living heritage worldwide.
In Finland, a photo contest "Wiki Loves Living Heritage" will be launched on the Europe Day 9th of May. Photos for the global campaign can be submitted in Wikimedia Commons throughout the year. Photos that have been uploaded from Finland between 9th May to 15th of August will participate in the national photo contest.
Living Heritage embraces practices, knowledge and skills that have been passed on through generations and are still valuable and in use today. It includes for example oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills related to crafts. Living heritage is not only diverse and colourful, but also an invaluable source of time-tested knowledge about how to live on our planet sustainably and peacefully.
In Finland, there are already more than 240 elements in the Wiki-inventory of Living Heritage. Of these sauna culture in Finland, Kaustinen fiddle playing and the Nordic clinkerboat tradition have been inscribed to the UNESCO Representative list of intangibl cultural heritage. However, there is much more living heritage to celebrate!
What living cultural heritage is important to you? What do you transmit or would you like to pass on to future generations? What traditions would you like to bring to the awareness of the rest of Finland and the world? Join us in saving and sharing living heritage that matters to you!
Stay tuned for more news on the campaign!
Contact: Leena Marsio leena.marsio(at)museovirasto.fi +358 29533 6017