Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritages

It is thought that the LAO people’s Democratic Republic is home to no fewer than forty-seven ethnic groups. The Lai, who live in the plains, form half the country’s population, thereby constituting the country’s predominant culture. Lao is also home, however, to many mountain minorities that live with their own languages, beliefs and aesthetic traditions. A large number of these local cultures, some of hem of great antiquity, have managed to survive in spite of the ups and downs of regional history. None the less, this exceptional cultural diversity, which forms part of the rich national heritage of Lao, is currently under threat-in in particular the intangible heritage of the oral, gestural, musical and ritual kind that relies entirely on memory.

It was to address such concerns that UNESCO organized a meeting in Vientiane. The event underlined the importance and diversity of the ethnic minority cultures of Lao and proposed plans of action aimed at documenting and revitalizing them. The contributions collected here embody the fascinating and often contrasting experiences and views that took place between international experts and national officials on the subject of the cultural implications of multi-ethnicity in Lao.

Among the missions to which UNESCO devotes its energies, cultural diversity stands to the fore. The mass of reflections and proposals for action concerning the minority cultures of Laos is a clear indication that a national culture draws both energy and light from its willingness to acknowledge and integrate its different cultural heritages, and in particular those of an intangible nature.