Pride Amsterdam nominated for UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
The Dutch government has nominated Pride Amsterdam to be added to the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List, Minister Rianne Letschert of Education, Culture, and Science announced in a letter to parliament. With the nomination, she is following the recommendation of the Council of Culture.
The Council of Culture had shortlisted five options for the UNESCO list, and then selected Pride Amsterdam from the shortlist. “Because the Netherlands is internationally known as a frontrunner in the field of gender equality, queer emancipation, and sexual freedom,” the Council said in its advice to the Cabinet.
The Pride Amsterdam organization is delighted by the nomination. “We have been working on this for a very long time,” director Lucien Spee told the local broadcaster AT5. “The chance to be nominated actually only presents itself once every four years. Finally, all the cards are in the right place.”
Pride Amsterdam must now prepare a nomination dossier, which must be approved by the Council of Ministers before being submitted to UNESCO by March 31 next year. UNESCO will likely make a decision on whether to include Pride Amsterdam on its intangible heritage list by the end of 2028.
While Pride Amsterdam received the official nomination, director Spee hopes that UNESCO decides to add the event Pride, without labelling it as Amsterdam-specific, to its World Heritage List. This would mean that Pride celebrations in countries where people can’t freely be themselves are also included.
“Yes, it is nice for us as Pride Amsterdam, and we were once a beacon of hope, but we would also like to achieve that for other countries,” Spee told the Amsterdam broadcaster. “This way, the Netherlands can play a leading role and other countries can join later.”
The UNESCO Intangible Heritage List includes a country’s “living culture,” its traditions, crafts, and festivals. The Netherlands already has the craft of the miller and the summer carnival in Rotterdam on the list. Other traditions include the Belgian beer culture, reggae music from Jamaica, and opera singing in Italy.
