Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop

Yap Fusion as Creativity within the Continuity of Tradition 

From the 26 to the 28 of March, the State of Yap hosted the very first UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Awareness Raising Workshop. 

As Dr. Akatsuki Takahashi, a Culture Program Specialist from UNESCO Samoa that facilitated the workshop said, "ICH is about continuity and creativity", and it is to represent this continuity of local produce and creativity of innovative practices that Yap Fusion has been invited to give a presentation of its work during the workshop under funding for innovative added value products provided by the FSM National Congress for States Trade Fair Events.

ICH is defined by the 2003 ICH Convention as follows: 

"The “intangible cultural heritage” means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity."

For the ICH Workshop Yap Fusion launched a new product: Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Pasta with local Cherry Tomatoes grown and donated by the College Of Micronesia Land Grant.

The product was carefully prepared and served on local leaves to emphasize Yap Fusion's sustainability message.

More than 50 servings were prepared to provide samples of the new product to the workshop participants. Additionally, through Facebook and Twitter the general public was invited to taste their new local food product.

Before serving the pasta samples to the Workshop's participants, Founder, Linda Germanis, gave a brief presentation about her Concept and passed out a flyer.

The presentation touched on Yap Fusion origin, strategy and products, but mainly addressed how this is an expression of ICH;

"The Continuity of traditional products & the creativity of sustainable practices that ensure the physical, economic and environmental wellbeing of individuals and communities", said Linda Germanis.

After the presentation, Yap Fusion left the participants the task to finally taste and evaluate the launch of local pasta.

Yap Fusion continues to demonstrate traction as a food security concept and the flavor is welcomed to the extent that catering contracts are being awarded for other government and traditional functions.

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