Year of creation: 2003
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Egypt

Objectives:
The Objectives of Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions include cultural and scientific services. It provides technical and intellectual assistance to Folklore students and the traditional bearers of the intangible cultural heritage in the form of training and safeguarding. The Society, also provides different organizations and governmental agencies with informations related to intangible cultural heritage whenever necessary.
The Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions aims at raising the awareness of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage in strengthing the Egyptian identity and need for safeguarding our heritage. The Egyptian Society for F'olk Traditions collaborates with Archives of ICH for preparing a database for the compilations of the lCH of Egypt with a special attention to the traditional elements that are in danger and need to be
safeguarded.
Activities:
The Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions is engaged in the following activities.
a. Lectures and presentations.
Weekly meeting for members to attend IBctures related to the field of intangible heritage
b. Traditional festivals and celebration.
Participating in national and local Egyptian Festivals and documenting them.
c. Research Activities
1.Collecting, documenting, protecting and safeguarding the Oral Epic Al·sirah Al-Hilallyyah for hundred and fifty recording were collected accompanied by photo and videos from fifty poets. This project recieved
UNESCO award of Sheikh Zayed Ibn Nahian as a Master Piece of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity In the year 2003.
2. Collaborating with the National Council for Women In documenting the Art of Tally in upper Egypt. In addition to participating in training 360 girls on Art of Tally. The Egyptian Society published a book entitled
The Mahing of a Traditional Artist as an outcome of this research.
3. Collecting and safeguarding tradltlonal festivals witlh collaborations with Culture Unit of the UNESCO in Cairo within the framework of the Netvvork of Traditional Festivals of the Mediterrean.
4. The Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions provided the Modernization Centre of Ministry of industry with a survey of all the traditional crafts in all of Egypt. We supplied the center with information on 365 traditional craft.
5. The Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions compiled a photographic portpholio on the cultural diversity of The Egyptian tangible and intangible heritage.
6. The personal and members of the Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions are professors, students, experts in Folk Traditions from the fields, anthropology, sociology, applied arts and social and cultural research.
(the society included 180 members) the society include also folk poets, singers. story tellers, craftsmen end traditional artists.
Cooperation:
In our process of collecting and documenting the ICH we respect and safeguard the practionors identity and their ownership of the material coflected according to the norms of the intellectual property right
(IPR). We also support and invite traditional practitioners to participate in exhibitIons in Egypt and abroad to exhibit their products.
We facilitated means for traditional artists to join and participate in exhibitions in Egypt and abroad (France and Italy). Traditional singers and dancers join celebrations of the Society and Archives.