UNESCO lists Bangladeshi rickshaw art as 'intangible heritage'

The UN cultural agency's Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee has included Rickshaws and rickshaw paintings in Dhaka on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The committee approved the list at the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the town of Kasane in Botswana on Wednesday.

The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and its list were adopted in 2003. It was ratified by 30 member states in 2006.

"Traditionally made by hand by a small group of craftsmen, almost every part of a rickshaw is painted with colourful floral patterns, natural imagery, birds and animals, creative depictions of historical events, fables, national heroes, movie stars and text. Rickshaws are also decorated extensively with tassels, plastic flowers and tinsel. As they are slow-moving vehicles, the paintings and decorations are easily visible to onlookers, thus becoming a roving exhibition," the description for rickshaws and rickshaw painting on the UNESCO website.

"Rickshaws and rickshaw painting are viewed as a key part of the city’s cultural tradition and a dynamic form of urban folk art, providing inhabitants with a sense of shared identity and continuity," the description added.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Khalil Ahmed hailed the approval as a rare honour for Bangladesh.

/KN/