Today, Thursday, April 27, 2023, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Mr. Amar Bilani, presided over the ceremony of handing over to Algeria the original certificate for the inscription of "Rai, Algerian Folk Singing" on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Zuhair Bilalou, Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Arts, and Mr. Alejandro Alvarez, Ambassador and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Algeria.
During this occasion, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad expressed his thanks to UNESCO for this recognition, stressing the commitment of the national authorities to continue preserving the Algerian cultural heritage for transmission to future generations, while ensuring that it is accessible and enjoyed by a wider audience.
He also reaffirmed Algeria's determination to protect its cultural heritage in all its forms and to stand up to all dubious maneuvers seeking to unjustly seize components of the Algerian identity, as he made it clear that Algeria made these efforts to record raï as "Algerian folk singing" and not just as folk singing in Algeria, Due to the many interpretations that marred this topic.
It should be noted that Rai was registered as an exclusive national heritage for Algerians, during the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, held in Rabat from November 28 to December 3, 2022.
The full text of the speech of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national community abroad on this occasion
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful
Mr. Bilalou Zuhair, Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Arts;
Mr. Alejandro Alvarez, Ambassador and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Algeria;
Ladies and gentlemen, directors of United Nations offices and programs accredited in Algeria
media family;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
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It is a great honor for me to receive today the original copy of the certificate of incorporation of "Rai, Algerian Folk Singing" in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, thus strengthening Algeria's list with the tenth element after the registration of each of Ahleil Gourara, and the wedding dress of Tlemcen (the intensity), including " The Thread of the Spirit”, and the celebration of the week at the angle of Sidi Hajj Belkacem in Timimoun, and the sons of Sidi Sheikh (Fantasia) rode in the eggs, the sbiba in Gant and other elements.
Rai acquires, through this prestigious and well-deserved certificate, its letters of nobility, which enabled this popular music, which finds its origins among the sheikhs of Bedouin song such as Sheikh Hamada and Abdul Qadir Al-Khalidi, to establish itself as an essential part of our cultural heritage.
This recognition is the fruit of the continuous and determined efforts of the higher authorities of our country and professionals in the sectors of culture and foreign affairs, with the aim of promoting and introducing the culture of Algeria's rich heritage and highlighting its great contribution to world culture. Indeed, Algeria has a very rich cultural heritage, the product of centuries of history, which reflects the originality and nobility of our nation.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Today's celebration of the "Rai" confirms the importance that the President of the Republic attaches to the nation's identity and its cultural heritage through keenness to promote it and protect it from extinction, which he recently emphasized on the sidelines of the ceremony honoring Algerian women. On March 8, 2023, he called for the protection of Algerian heritage from imitation and attempts to appropriate On its components by the falsifiers of history, if none of the elements of this rich heritage were spared attempts at distortion and theft, such as the "Zellij" and "The Hayek" and "The Thread of the Spirit" and "The Oran blouse" and "The Constantinople garland" and "Sarwal al-Shalqa" And “Karako” even extended to the traditional pictures and songs recorded by the two great sheikhs, Rabih Daraisa and Abdul Majeed Meskoud.
In this context, I would like to salute the awareness and the high sense of patriotism of Algerian men and women, especially the youth, who are very present in forums and social networks in order to confront all those who dare, in vain, to encroach on our cultural heritage and monopolize the elements of our national identity.
This popular mobilization, which reflects the level of collective awareness and the spirit of responsibility in our society, led by artists, writers, historians, and young people who are jealous of their homeland, encourages us to redouble our efforts and move forward in order to protect our cultural heritage in all its components and all its forms, and to preserve this national treasure to pass it on safely to future generations.
Algeria and its people will act resolutely to prevent the aggressors of its cultural identity, in the face of an army of trolls, dressed in medieval tinsel and trained and specialized in theft and cultural plunder on social networks, who are trying to rob Algeria of the constituent elements of its cultural identity and its tangible and intangible heritage.
ladies and gentlemen ;
I would like to take this opportunity to salute the quality partnership between Algeria and UNESCO in many areas, in particular through the hosting by our country of the Regional Center for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa, Category 2, under the auspices of UNESCO and hosted by Algeria to put it at the service of the promotion of intangible cultural heritage for Africa.
Finally, we reiterate Algeria's determination to continue working with the UN system in general and UNESCO in particular to advance culture and strengthen international efforts to preserve heritage.
Thank you for your kind attention.