Singapore among 4 countries to nominate the kebaya for Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list

Singapore, together with Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand, will nominate the kebaya for inscription on the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, said the National Heritage Board (NHB) in a media release on Wednesday (Nov 23)

This will mark Singapore's first multinational nomination, and the first multinational nomination involving the four countries, the board added

The multinational nomination of the traditional women's dress, which represents a significant part of Singapore’s Malay and port city heritage, and also reflects the unique blend of cultures in Southeast Asia, was first proposed and coordinated by Malaysia

The list was developed by Unesco in 2008 and is made up of intangible cultural heritage elements from different countries

To qualify for a successful nomination, Unesco will focus on aspects such as how the kebaya is aligned with the agency's definition of intangible cultural heritage, and how the nomination effort has involved the participation of the community in each participating country