Contribute to the Inventory

Belize’s ICH inventory is a mechanism for identifying, documenting, promoting and safeguarding our living heritage. Living heritage includes cultural forms which are alive and being continuously recreated, and passed on from one generation to the next. The Inventory is also a repository of supporting materials including audio-visual interviews, oral histories, recordings of events and practices, photographs, and other objects such as drawings and sketch patterns, which depict the forms of living heritage found in Belize.

The e-Inventory available and submission portal available on this site is a voluntary mechanism designed to encourage wide participation of communities and cultural stakeholders from across Belize in the inventorying process. It also provides a platform to highlight and share information about our living heritage.

Cultural organizations, cultural workers and practitioners, and community members who have identified a form of living heritage in their communities can contribute. Submissions should particularly be made by communities and organizations that practice and are familiar with the specific form of living heritage. (It is possible that a particular form of living heritage is practiced across several communities.)

Living heritage can be manifested in many different ways. It can include traditional music and dance, prayers and songs, folktales and proverbs, skills of making cultural attire and sacred items for rituals and ceremonies, traditional healing practices, craftsmanship skills, storytelling, and others.

To get an idea of what forms of living heritage have been inventoried by NICH and our ICH Network visit Our Inventory.

Audio and video recordings, photographs, as well as links to sites and sources which may contain audio-visual content about the cultural form being submitted.

Currently only files up to 10 MB in size can be submitted via the forms available on the Contribute and Our Network Pages. Additional materials can be submitted via email to: belizelivingheritage@nichbelize.org and iscr@nichbelize.org.

NICH through its Institute for Social and Cultural Research (ISCR) is the Government of Belize’s focal point for the UNESCO 2003 Convention. ISCR, therefore, monitors the content submitted by the public, gathers the information for consideration by the Belize Intangible Cultural Heritage Network.

Where an entry is found to have sufficient information, has clear community and practitioner input, and is representative of living heritage of Belize, it will be added to the Inventory. The community and practitioners may be contacted for further documentation by the ICH Network and community partners.

When the above is not fulfilled, opportunities for enhancing the file will be identified. A member of the ICH Network and NICH may visit the community/ies and practitioners involved to hold discussions and carry out further documentation and inventorying. Once additional information is added to the file, and there is community consent, it will be reconsidered.

Where an entry is found to not constitute a form of the living heritage of Belize, the information will be archived with ISCR . If additional content and community feedback is gathered such as to enhance the file, it will be reconsidered by the ICH Network.

Ready to submit your Entry?

Use Our Inventory Form To Submit An Entry