Participants representing Afro-Surinamese, Javanese, Maroons, Chinese, Jewish, Hindustani and Indigenous communities are joining forces to develop a framework for inventorying their living heritage at a five-day workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage taking place at the Surinaamsch Rumhouse from 11 to 15 April 2016.

Hosted by the Directorate of Culture of Suriname and the Suriname National Commission for UNESCO, in coordination with organizations and community groups committed to safeguarding living heritage in Suriname, it follows training last year on implementing the 2003 Convention and national consultation with stakeholders.

The workshop focuses on community participation in identifying and defining intangible cultural heritage, data collection, organization and management and will lay the foundation for a field exercise on inventorying in the upcoming months, as well as future safeguarding work.

Organized by the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean in close cooperation with national partners across the islands, the workshop is a part of a capacity-building project to reinforce safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the Dutch Caribbean islands and Suriname. It has been made possible thanks to a generous contribution from the Government of the Netherlands to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.