SINGAPORE: The kebaya has been properly inscribed onto the UNESCO representative , record of the intangible cultural heritage of society.
This was announced on Wednesday ( Dec 4 ) at about 9.50pm Singapore time, after a meeting of the 24-member UNESCO intergovernmental committee ( IGC ) in Asuncion, Paraguay, said the National Heritage Board ( NHB) in a media release.
Members of at least 130 position events and recognized non-governmental organizations from the 2003 Agreement for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Culture Heritage witnessed the monument.
The kebaya was simultaneously nominated by five South Asian countries – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – and is the largest election from Southeast Asia to day in terms of naming places.
The five nations collaborated on a nomination for the first time because it honors our shared cultural personality, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be worn by several communities in Southeast Asia, deliberately produced, and produced,” NHB said.
The election met all five of the IGC’s five analysis standards. The selecting nations received praise for the level of community involvement during the election process, both at the national and regional levels.
They were also praised for” the cohesion in acknowledging ( the ) kebaya as a unifying element that connects diverse cultures and communities that cross geographical boundaries,” according to NHB.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who is also the president of the Singapore National Commission for UNESCO,  , called the monument” a step to become celebrated”.
These five countries have joined forces to celebrate the kebaya as a representation of our shared history and cultural identification for the first time.
Its inclusion on the UNESCO list serves as a way to encourage cross-cultural knowledge and harmony in Singapore and the entire region, in addition to acknowledging its historical significance.
The record, which was created by UNESCO in 2008, consists of intangible cultural heritage components from various nations.
It aims to raise awareness of the value of these emotions and procedures, foster dialogue that respects cultural diversity, and give a due respect to the techniques and expressions of communities around the world.