ALGIERS- The Couscous and the knowledge, know-how and practices related to its production, have been registered in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), announced Minister of Culture and Arts Malika Bendouda on Wednesday.
The couscous has been listed by Unesco, on behalf of Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Morocco.For Algeria, the classification file was prepared by academic Ouiza Galleze from the Center for Prehistoric, Anthropological and Historical Researches (CNRPAH), while the Tunisian Institute of Heritage and the Moroccan Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Mauritanian experts have also took part in the elaboration of the file.
This new classification brings to seven the number of Algerian cultural properties inscribed, to date, on the representative list of UNESCO intangible heritage of humanity.
The file was presented during the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage which runs virtually until December 19.
The other cultural properties inscribed on the representative list of the intangible heritage of humanity are: the Ahellil of Gourara (2008), the “Chedda” wedding costume of Tlemcen (2012), the Imzad (2013), on behalf of Algeria, Mali and Niger, the pilgrimage of the Rakb de Ouled Sidi Cheikh (2013), the feast of Sbeiba (2014), an annual event celebrated in Djanet (south-eastern Algeria) as well as the” Sbuâ of mawlid ennabaoui “(2015).
