In July 2026, Prof. Hanna Schreiber, our UNESCO Chairholder, took part in the Kaustinen ICH Academy in Finland, held in the context of the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.
On 17 July, she delivered the lecture “Municipalities, Communities and Living Heritage: What Can We Learn from Warsaw and Kaustinen?”, focusing on the role of local authorities and communities in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and drawing on the experiences of Warsaw and Kaustinen.
The following day, on 18 July, the Academy hosted the Kaustinen Intangible Cultural Heritage Seminar 2026: “Festivals – Living Platforms for the Safeguarding of ICH”.
The seminar examined the role of events and festivals as platforms and tools for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. It explored what the 2003 UNESCO Convention and the concept of living heritage can offer music events, including ways of engaging broader and more diverse audiences and strengthening the social significance of festivals.
During the seminar, Hanna Schreiber delivered the keynote address: “When Participation Is Not Enough. Rethinking the Future of the 2003 UNESCO Convention through the Polish Debate on Folk Ensembles”
The keynote placed the principle of participation at the centre of a broader reflection on the future of the 2003 Convention. Drawing on the Polish debate around folk ensembles, it addressed the limits of participation as a safeguarding principle and the challenges involved in translating participatory approaches into heritage governance in practice.
The keynote was followed by the panel discussion “Festivals and Safeguarding of ICH”, moderated by Anne-Mari Hakamäki, Programme Director of the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. The panel brought together:
- Fredy “Clue” Lundh (Sweden), musician;
- Balázs Weyer (Hungary), Director of Hangvető;
- Jo Frost (United Kingdom), longtime journalist for Songlines magazine;
- Johanna Eurakoski (Finland), Programme Director of the World Village Festival in Helsinki.
The seminar programme also included performances by the Choir of the University of Chanting (Georgia), the Näppärit children’s group from Kaustinen and Fredy “Clue” Lundh.
By bringing together scholars, practitioners, musicians and festival organisers, the seminar created a space for discussion on how festivals can contribute not only to presenting living heritage, but also to its safeguarding, transmission and social relevance.
The seminar was streamed by the Finnish Folk Music Institute and the recording is available on YouTube: Watch the Kaustinen Intangible Cultural Heritage Seminar 2026
