DILI, 02 april 2024 (TATOLI) – The Secretary of State for Art and Culture, Jorge Cristóvão, revealed that the country will soon be submitting a proposal to UNESCO to have sacred houses recognized as cultural heritage.
He made the statement on the sidelines of a meeting with the focal points of the ministerial lines and UNESCO experts from Jakarta to Timor-Leste, with the aim of drafting the periodic report on the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
“A team from the Secretary of State for Art and Culture is currently collecting data on our sacred houses, as well as some historical and archaeological sites in Ataúro, Lautém, and Baucau so that in july we can submit an application to UNESCO,” said Jorge Cristóvão, in Balide, Díli.
Stefano De Caro, the Director General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property said that in the application process, the State Party must explain how it will manage the property’s exceptional universal value, answering the questions on the application form and demonstrating the existence of a management plan or system that is suitable for protecting the property.
In this regard, Jorge Cristóvão recalled that the government allocates an annual budget of US$200,000 to support the construction or rehabilitation of sacred houses.
It should be remembered that in 2021 Timor-Leste saw Tais, Timor-Leste’s traditional textile recognized as intangible cultural heritage.
Journalist: Jose Belarmino de Sa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
