The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain has received an encouraging fillip in its campaign to have UK fairs and Showmanship recognised by the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Heritage, after the organisation awarded protective status to Belgian and French fairground culture.
UNESCO has awarded Belgian and French fairground culture Intangible Cultural Heritage status, a move which should help the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain in its campaign to secure the same recognition for UK fairground culture.
The announcement comes as the Guild continues its discussions with DCMS to have fairs and Showmanship proposed alongside those traditional craft skills, community rituals, and festivals that are in danger of disappearing without protection.
“Our dialogue with DCMS is continuing into another round in the new year,” said SGGB spokesperson Desmond Fitzgerald. “This is to benefit towns and communities right across the country.”
“The aim of our achieving recognition of this cultural status is to progress opportunities for Fairs and Shows for time to come as part of town centres’ regeneration, and to preserve the artform and skills associated with the merrymaking that local communities participate in as evolving traditions.”
The government ratified the 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in January, and DCMS has since been consulting on which activities and traditions should be put forward to join UNESCO’s register of almost 750 international cultural practices.
“The more we shout about it to gain community and local, regional and national government support, the more chance we will have of achieving this,” said Fitzgerald.
The recognition of Belgium and France’s fairground culture was announced by Brussels state secretary Ans Persoons on 4 December.
“Fairground culture is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Persoons. “Heritage is about much more than buildings, it ` also about cherishing our evolving customs and traditions. Fairground culture is a perfect example of this living heritage.”
