3. Scotland and the Convention
Welcome to The Access Folk Podcast and our special series on Folk Arts, Cultural Policy and UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In this third and last episode, Esbjörn Wettermark talks to Steve Byrne from Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland and shares a recording from the project's final workshop at the University of Sheffield. At the start of the episode Esbjörn introduces UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the current discussion around its implementation across the UK.
The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
The Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage is a framework developed by UNESCO to safeguard cultural practices across the globe. In short, the Convention asks state signatories to compile an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage within their borders and create strategies for safeguarding these practices for future generations. The UK is a late signatory of the Convention, which entered into force in the UK in June 2024. Esbjörn introduces the initial discussions around the implementation but, as of October 2024, formal guidelines are still being worked on by the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Read more about the Convention and browse UNESCO’s lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage on their website.
Scotland
Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) director Steve Byrne introduces the work of their three forums on music, dance, and storytelling. He talks about key reports that have influenced how they work, and gives examples of how some government policies, for example on minority languages, are relevant for the folk arts. Even before the UK’s ratification, TRACS has supported Intangible Cultural Heritage policies in Scotland for some years. Steve describes a mapping report on Intangible Cultural Heritage he worked on with several partners in the Scottish cultural sector. He also notes TRACS’s recent accreditation as a NGO Advisor to UNESCO on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Visit Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland's website to read more about their work, including relevant reports and other resources.
Creative Scotland Strategic Framework can be downloaded from their website.
Workshop
In October 2024 all of the people featured in this podcast series met at the University of Sheffield to discuss the UK’s implementation of the Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage. Dan Woodfield, from the Cornish folk arts organisation Lowender, also joined to share their regional perspectives on folk arts, policy and the Convention. The group noted how being a signatory to the Convention has allowed new conversations and networks to develop, both with policy makers and other arts organisations, even before the work of implementation has really gotten started in the UK. Their discussion highlighted risks with the implementation process, especially the potential for cultural practices with strong organisational backing to be recognised at the expense of equally valuable community practices without clear organisational structures. The group argued that folk arts organisations and their networks have a role to play in supporting an equitable implementation process.
Visit Lowender’s website to learn more about their work and folk arts in Cornwall.
Further reading
Francis, David. 2010. ‘Traditional Arts Working Group Report – January 2010’. Scotland.https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20190120050012/http://www2.gov.scot/Publications/2010/01/28100441/14.
House of Lords. 2024. ‘Scrutiny of International Agreements: UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage: 5th Report of Session 2023–24’. HL Paper 69.https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43438/documents/216057/default/.
Kurin, Richard. 2007. ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage: Key Factors in Implementing the 2003 Convention’. International Journal of Intangible Heritage 2:10–20.
Local Voices Community Interest Company. 2021. ‘Mapping Intangible Cultural Heritage Assets and Collections in Scotland’. Scotland: Commissioned by Museums Galleries Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland, and Creative Scotland. https://tracscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Mapping-ICH-in-Scotland-Local-Voices-Aug-2021-w-Logos.pdf.
Lyne, Bethany. n.d. ‘Mapping Intangible Cornish Heritage’. Cornwall: Cornwall 365, Cornwall Council, Cornwall Heritage Trust, FEAST, The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, Gorsedh Kernow and Lowender Peran.https://www.lowender.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mapping-Intangible-Heritage-Low-Res.pdf.
McKerrell, Simon. 2014. ‘Traditional Arts and the State: The Scottish Case’. Cultural Trends 23 (3): 159–68.https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2014.925281.
Tripp, Claire, and Ian Saltern. 2024. ‘ONAN HAG OLL - ONE AND ALL: The Cornish a UK National Minority’. Cornwall: Cornwall Council & Azook Community Interest Company.https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/c30m0joh/the-cornish-a-uk-national-minority-web.pd.
UNESCO. n.d. ‘Text of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’. 2003.https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention.
Music
Iona Fyfe performed the Scots language song ‘Guise of Tough’ from the 2018 album Away From My Window.
The theme music was ‘Old Adam (Reprise)’, performed by Fay Hield and her band from her 2016 album Old Adam.
All music is used with permission from artists and rights holders.
General information
This special series of The Access Folk Podcast was produced as part of the Knowledge Exchange Project, ‘Folk Arts and Policy in the UK’s Devolved Nations and Regions, and the Isle of Man’. The project ran from April to November 2024, and was supported by Policy Support Funding from the University of Sheffield.
Access Folk is a UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellowship led by Prof Fay Hield at the University of Sheffield. Learn more about Access Folk’s research on folk singing and participation on our website.
The podcast was recorded and produced by Esbjörn Wettermark and Kitty Turner.
