Cambodian Performing Arts in the Era of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

UNESCO’s protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) has been a topic of ongoing debate inthe field of Cambodian performing arts. UNESCO’s recognition as ICH means that international attention and renewed economic opportunities arise for the selected performing arts and thus can help to preserve cultural practices that are at risk of being lost. In Cambodia, only a handful of teachers and performers survived the brutalities of Pol Pot’s regime (1975-79), and the incorporation of the artistic traditions into a global scenario, also thanks to the UNESCO cultural strategy, has led to the possibility of revitalizing and rebuilding both old and new repertoires. This is certainly the case regarding the musical tradition of Chapei Dang Veng and the dance-drama Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet, registered in the “List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding” in 2016 and 2018 respectively. However, considering the “branding” effect of listing and heritage-making, ICH seems to open the doors to mass tourism and in general favors over-commercialization and folklorization of cultural practices, leading to the erosion of their religious significance.