ichLinks launching ceremony © ICHCAP

Experts agree that the success of ichLinks (ichlinks.com), ambitiously launched in March as an ICH information sharing platform in the Asia-Pacific region, depends on these two factors.

· Collaboration of the participants

· Content competitiveness to attract readers

On 27 May 2021, the ichLinks Official Launching Ceremony was held for three hours starting from 2:00 pm Korean time. Experts as speakers and presenters congratulated the launch of ichLinks and advised on the key to the platform’s success. In addition to partner organizations from five countries participating in ichLinks, experts from cultural information sharing organizations and an audience of a hundred and twenty people from twenty-nine countries worldwide, attended this event.

The first part of the event included introducing the purpose of ichLinks, a platform demonstration, its main contents, and a video screening of its production process by ICHCAP. The second part was covered by reviews and development directions on ichLinks from the primary partners participating in the platform (Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia), sharing experiences of organizations in cultural fields operating online information-sharing projects (Europeana and the Smithsonian), and their proposals and other presentations. The third part introduced the roles and recruitment of ichLinks new partners.

At this event, the partner organizations participating in ICH information sharing through ichLinks showed their expectation to promote ICH in their countries globally and benefit ICH communities.

The experiences and advice of Europeana and the Smithsonian, which have been attracting attention as international examples of digital cultural information sharing, suggested ways to grow ichLinks sustainably. Mr. Harry Verwayen, Executive Director of the Europeana Foundation, said, “There are three broad actors at Europeana. They are the foundation that operates technology, a forum of dozens of countries, and more than 4,000 institutions and organizations. Europeana’s networking depends on the collaboration of these actors.” Dr. Richard Kurin, Director of the Smithsonian Folklore Life and Cultural Heritage Center, said, “It is important that the platform be perceived as a ‘digital forum’ rather than simply a place to upload data. It is necessary to think about the advantages of the platform compared to Google in terms of attracting users.”

Domestic and foreign figures who delivered congratulatory speeches at this event also supported the growth of ichLinks. Mr. Ernesto Ottone, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, asked the audience to share their data on the platform.

ICHCAP plans to expand the partners of ichLinks and provide a place for communication. Mr. Gi Hyung Keum, Director-General of ICHCAP, said, “Through ichLinks, which has its core values in decentralization, openness, sharing, and sustainability, we hope that ICH is not a legacy on the verge of extinction but a living culture in our daily lives.”