The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced that it will review the nomination of henna for inclusion in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity this December.
This submission, made by 16 Arab countries, including Morocco, is titled « Henna: Rituals and Aesthetic and Social Practices ». It will be evaluated during the 19th regular session of the Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, scheduled from December 2 to 7, 2024, in Asunción, Paraguay.
According to the nomination file, the initiative was born during the Tan-Tan season in June 2019 in Morocco, where several civil society organizations expressed their desire to include henna in the 2003 Convention’s Representative List. The idea gained significant support as henna is widely practiced across diverse genders, ages, and ethnic backgrounds.
During this session, the committee will assess 63 elements submitted by 90 countries. Of these, 58 pertain to the Representative List, which acknowledges and promotes the diversity of cultural practices and knowledge. Currently, the list features 611 elements from 140 countries worldwide.
