"Viola da Terra" applies for designation as national intangible cultural heritage - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Educação, Cultura e Desporto

The Regional Government of the Azores has submitted an application requesting that the knowledge and practices of playing the "viola da terra" (traditional Azorean guitar) be included in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The announcement was made last Friday, September 11, at a ceremony held at the Luís da Silva Ribeiro Public Library and Regional Archive in Angra do Heroísmo.

The Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sport, Sofia Ribeiro, stated that the project now presented “stems from efforts” to safeguard “an element of the Azores’ identity.”

“There is a strong sense of Azorean identity surrounding not only the 'viola da terra,' but everything associated with this instrument, which is experienced by all Azoreans,” she emphasised.

The Regional Secretary for Culture admitted that the application now submitted is “an ambition that has been in the making for several years,” and that the process is “complex and highly bureaucratic.”

“The heritage is so vast, but so far we only have two entries in this intangible heritage: the dances, 'bailinhos' (traditional Carnival dances) and theatre performances during Carnival celebrations on Terceira Island, and the traditional pilgrimages of São Miguel,” she recalled.

Sofia Ribeiro emphasised that the Regional Government is already developing new projects aimed at “expanding and increasing” the Azores’ heritage presence in the national inventory.

She mentioned the example of the registration of the Procession of Senhor dos Terceiros, in Ribeira Grande, in partnership with the Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Ribeira Grande and the Ribeira Grande Municipal Council; and the project on the traditional know-how and techniques for the certification of São Jorge PDO cheese, in collaboration with the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food, in partnership with the Municipal Councils of Velas and Calheta and the Confraria do Queijo de São Jorge (a brotherhood formed to promote São Jorge cheese).

The government official also added that they had already begun the process of “registering the 'Cavalhadas da Ribeira Grande' (St. Peter's Cavalcades)."

“We are all certain that these expressions of intangible cultural heritage are not only present in the Azores but also have a national and even international reach, which justifies their inclusion on the national list and, potentially, on the international list,” she said.

Sofia Ribeiro also announced that the Regional Government is developing a project in partnership with the Municipal Councils of Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória so that the dances, “bailinhos” and theatre performances during Carnival celebrations on Terceira Island can progress to the next level and achieve "UNESCO classification."

Sofia Ribeiro also announced that the Government is developing a regional curriculum for teaching "viola da terra" as part of arts education at the secondary school level, which will be put out for public consultation.

“In doing so, we honor the Azorean people, we honor our musicians, and we are committed to safeguarding all their work and dedication so that it may be passed on to future generations,” emphasised Sofia Ribeiro.