Tuesday was a historic day for the musical genre of bolero. An intergovernmental committee of UNESCO, held in the Botswana city of Kasane, decided to recognise the bolero as an intangible cultural heritage. The proposal to include the bolero in the list was submitted in March 2022. This is reported by
teleSUR, a partner of TV BRICS.

The binational dossier “Bolero: identity, emotion, and poetry made into song” was jointly presented in March 2022 by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico and the Ministry of Culture of Cuba to the international organisation. It brings together the works of authors, composers, arrangers, musicians, performers, scholars and cultural figures associated with this unique genre.

Bolero originated in 1883 in Cuba and later spread to Mexico and other countries in the region. It is characterised by its rhythmic melody, lyrical lyrics and love songs. Thanks to its musicality and the depth of its lyrics, the bolero has been passed down from generation to generation, enriching the Cuban and Mexican heritage.

It is not the first musical genre to be inscribed on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. Previously, tango was inscribed in 2009, flamenco in 2010 and reggae in 2018.

Photo:
IStock