Valuing Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) means more than just recording it — it’s about helping communities continue, adapt, and recreate their traditions. As UNESCO (2003) states, ICH “is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history.” To truly support ICH, it should be included in education, sustainable tourism, local cultural planning, and in the responsible use of digital tools that are easy to access.
Today, ICH faces several challenges, such as people leaving rural areas, global cultural trends, the loss of knowledge passed between generations, and the invisibility of traditional practices — especially in rural and marginalized areas. In response, many communities are taking action through initiatives like:
- Running intergenerational workshops where elders share their knowledge with young people in schools, cultural spaces, or local events;
- Organizing community festivals that mix performances, craft and knowledge fairs, and traditional foods;
- Creating cultural and eco-tourism routes that focus on rural practices, oral traditions, and cultural landscapes;
- Building digital memory banks with the community to collect stories, songs, skills, and testimonies;
- Promoting learning activities based on local ICH to strengthen identity and a sense of belonging.
Digital platforms can help create spaces where communities share their stories — using videos, podcasts, and other formats — turning storytelling into a way to celebrate culture, connect generations, and build resilience. Freire (2005, p. 83) reminds us that “dialogue is indispensable to the act of cognition which unveils reality.” When applied to ICH, this means truly listening to communities, encouraging their creativity, and supporting public policies that respect their pace, meanings, and ways of life.