0:00:05.412,0:00:06.807 Hi, guys. 0:00:07.227,0:00:12.646 Today I want to talk to you about ICH,[br]intangible cultural heritage. 0:00:12.646,0:00:15.146 It's a very unfortunate term. 0:00:15.146,0:00:18.746 Intangible cultural heritage -[br]what does that mean? 0:00:18.746,0:00:22.596 In French it translates[br]as "immaterial heritage," 0:00:22.596,0:00:24.246 but is it immaterial? 0:00:24.246,0:00:26.681 Well, yes, but no. 0:00:26.681,0:00:31.017 I prefer to call it living culture[br]or dynamic traditions. 0:00:31.017,0:00:35.477 Now, my interest in ICH,[br]I think came from my childhood. 0:00:35.477,0:00:39.671 I grew up in a bilingual home,[br]so my mother would speak Irish to me, 0:00:39.671,0:00:41.737 but the rest of the family spoke English, 0:00:41.737,0:00:45.638 so as a child, I was aware[br]of different cultures and traditions. 0:00:46.098,0:00:49.157 This was no help to me, though, in 1992, 0:00:49.157,0:00:52.537 when I met my future German mother-in-law. 0:00:52.847,0:00:56.484 She didn't speak English,[br]and I didn't speak German. 0:00:56.484,0:01:00.485 Imagine not being on speaking terms[br]with your mother-in-law. 0:01:00.485,0:01:02.728 I think most of you[br]are too young for that, 0:01:02.728,0:01:04.507 but believe you me, 0:01:04.507,0:01:07.469 not being able to speak[br]to your German mother-in-law 0:01:07.469,0:01:10.458 is an incredibly difficult experience. 0:01:10.458,0:01:14.889 And I soon realized that there is[br]much more differences between us, 0:01:14.889,0:01:18.057 even though we're near neighbors,[br]in European terms, 0:01:18.057,0:01:19.988 than simply language. 0:01:20.408,0:01:22.723 Later on, when I went to work in Germany, 0:01:22.723,0:01:24.950 I found even more problems. 0:01:24.950,0:01:28.409 Um, marking time is one issue. 0:01:28.789,0:01:31.970 If I make an appointment[br]with you at 10:30, 0:01:31.970,0:01:34.798 that is the time I expect you to turn up. 0:01:34.798,0:01:36.495 However, in Germany, 0:01:36.495,0:01:39.599 if you make an appointment[br]with someone for halb zehn, 0:01:39.599,0:01:42.685 they will actually turn up[br]an hour earlier. 0:01:42.685,0:01:45.849 We mark time in terms[br]of time that is gone past; 0:01:45.849,0:01:49.895 they mark time in terms[br]of time that is to come. 0:01:50.055,0:01:54.265 My German husband and myself[br]often disagree on colors. 0:01:54.815,0:01:59.549 I come from a land that is often described[br]as having 40 shades of green, 0:01:59.549,0:02:03.610 and actually, in Irish Gaelic,[br]we have two words for green: 0:02:03.610,0:02:07.074 we have "glas" and we have "uaine." 0:02:07.074,0:02:13.574 Now, glas is for a chilly morning,[br]a gray horse, green grass, 0:02:13.574,0:02:16.466 but we would use uaine for a bus. 0:02:16.466,0:02:17.715 Now, you say to me, 0:02:17.715,0:02:21.010 "What's the difference between [br]the green bus and the green grass?" 0:02:21.010,0:02:24.549 Well, actually, it's very hard[br]to translate into English, 0:02:24.549,0:02:30.060 but I suppose the best I could say[br]is grass grows, therefore grass is glas; 0:02:30.060,0:02:34.123 a bus does not grow,[br]therefore the bus is uaine. 0:02:34.863,0:02:35.904 So, 0:02:38.407,0:02:44.830 many cultures have many different[br]languages, expressions, traditions - 0:02:44.830,0:02:49.181 all part of intangible[br]cultural heritage, or ICH. 0:02:49.181,0:02:52.077 Now, you may have seen[br]in last week's newspapers 0:02:52.077,0:02:55.420 how it has been discovered[br]with the new thesaurus 0:02:55.420,0:03:00.956 that there are 421 words[br]in Scots for snow. 0:03:01.376,0:03:03.256 That actually surprises me a bit. 0:03:03.256,0:03:07.289 If you said to me[br]it was 421 words for rain, 0:03:07.289,0:03:09.120 I would expect that. 0:03:09.120,0:03:13.891 But apparently, the Scots[br]beat the Inuit for words for snow. 0:03:13.891,0:03:17.271 The Inuit are supposed to have[br]50 words for snow, 0:03:17.271,0:03:20.562 but actually that has since[br]been described as a hoax. 0:03:20.562,0:03:22.842 Okay, so what is the value of that? 0:03:22.842,0:03:25.261 Well, I think the value of that is huge. 0:03:25.261,0:03:30.900 First of all, local languages[br]reflect the local biodiversity. 0:03:30.900,0:03:34.568 They also create a sense[br]of belonging and social cohesion, 0:03:34.568,0:03:37.211 but also there's a whole[br]industry about Scots. 0:03:37.211,0:03:40.821 You can buy Gruffalo in Scots;[br]you can buy loads of books in Scots. 0:03:40.832,0:03:42.882 You know yourselves,[br]you can buy tea towels, 0:03:42.882,0:03:46.182 you can buy cups,[br]you can buy baby T-shirts - 0:03:46.182,0:03:48.932 all expressing the words in Scots. 0:03:48.932,0:03:52.792 So there's a whole economic industry[br]going on here as well. 0:03:52.952,0:03:57.382 Now, oral traditions and expressions[br]are just one part of ICH, 0:03:57.382,0:03:59.368 but there are many others. 0:03:59.368,0:04:00.774 Performing arts is another, 0:04:00.774,0:04:02.181 and here I put up a picture 0:04:02.181,0:04:06.463 of what we would call[br]one of our local folk stars, Gary West. 0:04:06.463,0:04:08.952 Now, Gary West is one of the many people 0:04:08.952,0:04:11.729 that have played in[br]the Celtic Connection festivals, 0:04:11.729,0:04:14.583 which happens every January in Glasgow. 0:04:14.583,0:04:19.120 Now, the Celtic Connections[br]festival started in 1994, 0:04:19.120,0:04:23.243 and since then, it has grown[br]year after year after year, 0:04:23.243,0:04:26.419 and a study in 2007 found 0:04:26.419,0:04:30.792 that for every pound[br]invested in this festival, 0:04:30.792,0:04:32.740 31 pounds came back, 0:04:32.740,0:04:37.843 so ICH has strong economic potential. 0:04:38.453,0:04:41.920 Performing arts is another example of ICH. 0:04:41.920,0:04:46.759 I don't know how many of you have enjoyed[br]the Beltane Festival like I did, 0:04:46.759,0:04:52.903 but Beltane is one of the many rituals[br]and social practices and festivals 0:04:52.903,0:04:55.402 that takes place in Scotland every year. 0:04:55.402,0:04:58.543 Now, rituals, social[br]practices, and festivals 0:04:58.543,0:05:01.834 are another very important part of ICH. 0:05:01.834,0:05:03.232 And what are they good for? 0:05:03.232,0:05:04.633 They're good for the economy. 0:05:04.633,0:05:07.339 Think of all the tourists[br]that come to see Beltane. 0:05:07.339,0:05:09.983 They're good for our[br]mental health and well-being. 0:05:09.983,0:05:13.133 I mean, consider how good[br]you feel at a fire festival. 0:05:13.133,0:05:15.606 Basically, Beltane is a fire festival. 0:05:15.606,0:05:19.741 They're also good for tourism[br]and mixing with the locals 0:05:19.741,0:05:24.573 and marking the seasons,[br]so they create a sense of environment. 0:05:25.363,0:05:31.475 I think one of the most underestimated[br]contributions Scotland makes to ICH 0:05:31.475,0:05:36.364 is in terms of knowledge and practices[br]concerning the universe. 0:05:36.364,0:05:39.212 And I just take as an example, John Muir. 0:05:39.212,0:05:43.893 Now, John Muir was born in Dunbar,[br]but spent a lot of time in America, 0:05:43.893,0:05:48.465 and there he is known[br]as the "Father of National Parks," 0:05:48.465,0:05:51.554 because John Muir had a vision for nature, 0:05:51.554,0:05:55.995 a vision that we should all[br]enjoy our leisure in nature, 0:05:55.995,0:05:58.206 that we should all feel good in nature, 0:05:58.206,0:06:01.315 and that nature should be[br]available to everybody. 0:06:01.315,0:06:04.915 Well, it's not just about nature[br]and mental health and well-being; 0:06:04.915,0:06:06.925 it's also about the economy. 0:06:06.925,0:06:10.175 So, we now have a new John Muir Way, 0:06:10.175,0:06:15.992 a 130-mile-long route which is bound[br]to bring in the nature tourists. 0:06:16.472,0:06:21.402 Traditional skills is also[br]a very important part of ICH, 0:06:21.982,0:06:24.585 and I would like to[br]point to just one example. 0:06:24.585,0:06:27.486 In the photograph here,[br]we have basket-making, 0:06:27.486,0:06:30.065 but the example I would like to point to 0:06:30.065,0:06:33.237 is a special example to me[br]which is in government, 0:06:33.237,0:06:35.485 and it's called the GalGael Trust. 0:06:35.485,0:06:38.666 And the GalGael Trust[br]was set up in the '90s 0:06:38.666,0:06:43.736 with a desire to give people[br]who had been marginalized 0:06:43.736,0:06:46.340 or people who find life challenging, 0:06:46.340,0:06:47.554 a new aim in life. 0:06:47.554,0:06:52.657 They describe it as giving people a chisel[br]with which to carve out the future. 0:06:52.657,0:06:55.986 And they particularly[br]focus on boat-building. 0:06:55.986,0:06:57.284 Now, you may say, 0:06:57.284,0:07:00.217 "What's the value[br]of traditional craftsmanship?" 0:07:00.217,0:07:03.203 But as you know,[br]in this technological age, 0:07:03.203,0:07:06.057 there is a great desire for people 0:07:06.057,0:07:10.335 to purchase and engage[br]with traditional crafts. 0:07:10.335,0:07:12.732 That's, of course,[br]also good for the environment 0:07:12.732,0:07:16.944 because usually people like this[br]don't exploit local resources, 0:07:16.944,0:07:20.718 but think about what they[br]can hand on for the next generation. 0:07:21.028,0:07:23.086 Now, if all of that[br]hasn't convinced you yet 0:07:23.086,0:07:25.254 that ICH is really important, 0:07:25.254,0:07:27.358 I'd like to take a few more examples. 0:07:27.358,0:07:30.408 You may say to me, "Yeah,[br]that's all old-fashioned stuff. 0:07:30.408,0:07:33.155 It's all for old people;[br]it's nothing to do with me." 0:07:33.155,0:07:34.748 But actually, it isn't. 0:07:34.748,0:07:40.678 Many of the tradition bearers of ICH[br]are way ahead of us in technology. 0:07:40.678,0:07:43.234 Consider, for example, the Samis. 0:07:43.234,0:07:47.268 They, in the old days, would,[br]with their reindeer husbandry, 0:07:47.268,0:07:49.538 would gather the reindeer on sleighs. 0:07:49.538,0:07:51.368 Do they do that now? No. 0:07:51.368,0:07:53.298 They use snow scooters. 0:07:53.298,0:07:58.143 Or here, I have an example[br]of the Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut, 0:07:58.143,0:08:04.010 a huge enterprise with casinos,[br]spas, golf courses - 0:08:04.010,0:08:05.437 a huge industry. 0:08:05.437,0:08:09.868 Now, that huge industry is owned[br]by one of the Native American people, 0:08:09.868,0:08:13.778 who use the income from that[br]for their tribal reservations. 0:08:13.778,0:08:19.659 So again, the economic dimension[br]of ICH is extremely important. 0:08:19.979,0:08:24.427 Another example would be[br]the Amazon Indians who use Google Earth. 0:08:24.427,0:08:26.330 Now, let me tell you how this happened. 0:08:26.330,0:08:28.059 It happened very simply. 0:08:28.059,0:08:33.029 One day, the local chief[br]went into an internet café. 0:08:33.029,0:08:34.939 He saw Google Earth 0:08:34.939,0:08:38.946 and quickly realized the potential[br]it would have for his people. 0:08:38.946,0:08:40.979 So he invited Google Earth in, 0:08:40.979,0:08:42.278 and they came, 0:08:42.278,0:08:44.278 and they trained the tribespeople 0:08:44.278,0:08:48.386 to make YouTubes of their elders[br]recording their stories, 0:08:48.386,0:08:52.170 how to tag their stories,[br]and put them up on the internet. 0:08:52.170,0:08:55.089 Later on, they came back, 0:08:55.089,0:08:58.125 and they trained these people[br]how to use mobile phones 0:08:58.125,0:09:01.700 because one of the problems[br]the Amazon Indians have 0:09:01.700,0:09:06.950 is illegal logging or illegal[br]deforestation of their lands. 0:09:06.950,0:09:10.059 So now what they do is,[br]if somebody's up to something, 0:09:10.059,0:09:13.179 they take photographs[br]and put it up on Google Earth. 0:09:13.179,0:09:14.890 So that is a perfect example 0:09:14.890,0:09:19.655 of traditional wisdom[br]with modern technology. 0:09:19.655,0:09:22.109 But of course, there's more. 0:09:22.669,0:09:27.867 ICH, intangible cultural heritage,[br]is all about social inclusion, 0:09:27.867,0:09:29.319 and here I have an example. 0:09:29.319,0:09:32.730 I was with guests last Saturday night,[br]and they were telling me 0:09:32.730,0:09:38.548 about this festival from Bengali[br]which celebrates the goddess Durga, 0:09:38.548,0:09:41.938 and it's about gathering clay[br]from the homes of prostitutes 0:09:41.938,0:09:46.339 to make the icon[br]of this goddess every year. 0:09:46.639,0:09:48.709 All the activities around this festival 0:09:48.709,0:09:52.956 place a very strong emphasis[br]on social inclusion. 0:09:52.956,0:09:57.691 Another example I would like to take[br]is one called Art for India, 0:09:57.691,0:10:03.158 and this was an initiative[br]which looked at traditional art forms 0:10:03.158,0:10:05.047 and discovered they were dying, 0:10:05.047,0:10:07.752 and they were dying - [br]it was a bit of a catch-22 - 0:10:07.752,0:10:12.092 they were dying, there was[br]no opportunities for artists to perform, 0:10:12.092,0:10:14.252 there was no income coming from it, 0:10:14.252,0:10:18.238 so they generated[br]a whole new revival of these arts, 0:10:18.238,0:10:22.418 created opportunities for the artists[br]to showcase their art, 0:10:22.418,0:10:24.023 and created networks. 0:10:24.023,0:10:28.862 So here we've another example[br]of traditional crafts plus the economy - 0:10:28.862,0:10:30.522 everybody gains. 0:10:31.242,0:10:36.382 Now, if all that doesn't convince you[br]that ICH is worth being passionate about, 0:10:36.382,0:10:41.574 I would like to turn finally[br]to the notion of ICH being used 0:10:41.574,0:10:46.552 as a tool of reconciliation[br]or conflict amelioration. 0:10:47.062,0:10:50.842 We're all familiar with examples[br]from ISIS recently, 0:10:50.842,0:10:56.311 destroying heritage sites -[br]tangible heritage - as acts of war. 0:10:56.311,0:11:01.750 Well, ICH can be harnessed[br]to ameliorate those acts of war. 0:11:02.070,0:11:03.560 Um, here, um - 0:11:03.560,0:11:06.713 another example of intangible heritage[br]that I should refer to first 0:11:06.713,0:11:07.952 is the Mostar Bridge, 0:11:07.952,0:11:10.177 which was really destroyed 0:11:10.177,0:11:14.952 to destroy the memory[br]of peoples working together. 0:11:14.952,0:11:17.659 In this case, it was[br]the Bosnians and the Croats. 0:11:17.659,0:11:21.803 So destroy the tangible heritage,[br]destroy the memory. 0:11:21.803,0:11:24.832 And of course, ICH is all about memory, 0:11:24.832,0:11:29.123 and lots of wars are about memory[br]and about the past. 0:11:29.123,0:11:30.900 The problem is that these wars 0:11:30.900,0:11:34.143 are not necessarily[br]about the facts of the past; 0:11:34.143,0:11:37.370 they are about[br]the interpretation of the past. 0:11:37.370,0:11:39.279 And very often war is caused 0:11:39.279,0:11:43.134 because different people[br]interpret the past differently, 0:11:43.134,0:11:45.594 and they're often in conflict[br]with one another. 0:11:45.594,0:11:47.832 And here's where ICH can come in, 0:11:47.832,0:11:51.453 because ICH can be used to sit down, 0:11:51.453,0:11:54.943 get people to talk about[br]their understandings of the past, 0:11:54.943,0:11:56.233 and at least - 0:11:56.233,0:11:59.185 even if one doesn't agree[br]with the other side - 0:11:59.185,0:12:02.263 at least come into dialogue with them. 0:12:02.263,0:12:05.464 A very good example of that[br]happened in Northern Ireland, 0:12:05.464,0:12:08.604 where they called it[br]"healing through remembering," 0:12:08.604,0:12:12.191 and basically they set up[br]conversation workshops 0:12:12.191,0:12:16.534 for people who had different and[br]conflicting interpretations of the past 0:12:16.534,0:12:19.345 so that at least they[br]could come to an understanding 0:12:19.345,0:12:21.855 of what the other side thought. 0:12:22.395,0:12:25.074 And so it was with[br]great pleasure, actually, 0:12:25.074,0:12:28.273 that I attended Derry / Londonderry 0:12:28.273,0:12:32.803 celebrating its first[br]UK City of Culture in 2013. 0:12:32.803,0:12:36.396 Hopefully you recognize[br]the character of Nessie here. 0:12:36.396,0:12:39.705 This was a big pageant[br]about the character Columba, 0:12:39.705,0:12:44.436 who in the past had divided communities[br]known as Columba or Colmcille, 0:12:44.436,0:12:46.985 but with the UK City of Culture, 0:12:46.985,0:12:48.395 they sat down, 0:12:48.395,0:12:51.187 reconciled their memories,[br]told a new story - 0:12:51.187,0:12:55.452 a new story which harnessed ICH, 0:12:55.452,0:12:58.257 or intangible cultural heritage, 0:12:58.257,0:13:01.981 to create a new common[br]shared heritage for the city 0:13:01.981,0:13:05.795 with a view to economic benefit for all. 0:13:06.015,0:13:08.095 So hopefully by now I've convinced you 0:13:08.095,0:13:10.968 that ICH is something[br]worth thinking about. 0:13:10.968,0:13:14.107 It's not just about the past;[br]it's about the future. 0:13:14.107,0:13:15.947 It's about social inclusion. 0:13:15.947,0:13:17.606 It's about the economy. 0:13:17.606,0:13:20.115 It's about caring for our environment. 0:13:20.115,0:13:22.407 It's about me; it's about you; 0:13:22.407,0:13:24.253 it's about future generations. 0:13:24.253,0:13:26.158 Go raibh maith agat. 0:13:26.158,0:13:28.708 (Applause)