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Thinley Namgay
Information officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs and representatives from eight Asia-Pacific countries are participating in a two-day capacity-building workshop on the IchLinks online platform at the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development (DCDD) in Thimphu.
IchLinks is a one-stop online platform, enabling users to access a wide array of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) information and content shared by member states in the Asia-Pacific region. It also fosters interaction among various ICH stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and practitioners.
The inaugural workshop for core workers began yesterday, organised by the National Library and Archives of Bhutan (NLAB) in collaboration with the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific (ICHCAP), under the auspices of UNESCO and South Korea.
0Officials said that similar training had been conducted five times for executive members of the member countries, but these sessions were not as effective because the key IchLinks workers were absent. This workshop aims to bridge that gap.
The platform allows member states to upload images, videos, audios, and texts related to their intangible cultural heritage. A unique feature of IchLinks is that all shared information is research-based.
“Intangible cultural heritage” refers to the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills, as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts, and cultural spaces associated with communities, groups, and individuals, which they recognise as part of their cultural heritage.
Although IchLinks was officially launched in 2021, Bhutan has been contributing ICH content since 2018, with 135 pieces uploaded to date.
During yesterday’s session, participants learned about the UNESCO 2003 Convention, inventorying and documentation, the current status and future direction of the IchLinks platform, as well as data entry and content management.
NLAB’s Deputy Chief Librarian, Yeshi Lhendup, said that the event is crucial for Bhutan in promoting the country’s rich intangible culture. He also mentioned that it would help boost tourism in Bhutan.
However, he said that Bhutan could have uploaded more information on IchLinks but faced challenges due to a lack of human resources.
Participants expressed that the knowledge gained from the workshop would not only foster the intangible cultures of their respective countries but also address the growing global concern of preserving these cultures amid rapid globalisation.
As of yesterday, IchLinks has 14 member countries.
The Director of the Information and Research Office at ICHCAP (South Korea), Weonmo Park said that the platform would continue evolving for the greater good of the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
“Currently, English is the primary medium of information on the portal, but the aim is to make it more inclusive by incorporating the national languages of member countries so that people can access the resources in their preferred languages, “ he said.
He also mentioned that transnational language components would be established in the future to enhance comprehensive understanding of each other’s cultures.
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