Statement of the Institute of the Ombudsman of HAYK
During the twelfth session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held on December 4-9, 2017 on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, with more than 800 participants attending, UNESCO inscribed Kochari as “traditional groupdance – an exclusive Armenian cultural value. While recognizing Kochari as an Armenian value, UNESCO noted that “Kochari is a traditional dance that is widely performed throughout Armenia during holidays, celebrations, family ceremonies and other social events. It is open to all participants, regardless of age, gender or social status.”
Kochari provides a sense of shared identity and solidarity, contributes to the continuity of historical, cultural and ethnic memory, and promotes mutual respect among community members of all ages. It is passed down through both informal and formal means and is one of the rare traditional dances whose chain of transmission has never been broken. Official means of transmission include the it as part of the “Folk song and dance” course in Armenian public school curricula since 2004, educational programs at youth art centers, increased visibility of the element through the Internet and other media, and institutional initiatives.
In addition, since the 1960s, folk dance groups have also been operating in various communities, and non-governmental organizations regularly hold it as part of dance classes. Informal transmission occurs within families and through spontaneously formed dance groups. Communities, groups, and individuals are actively involved in keeping the elements alive, especially through the undertaking “We and Our Dances”, which has been running since 2008, and experienced practitioners play a key role in sustaining the effort. Continuing the policy of appropriating Armenian values, in 2018 Azerbaijan submitted an application to UNESCO to recognize Kochari dance under the name of Yalli as a native dance of Nakhichevan area and Azerbaijani heritage Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere). UNESCO, giving way to Azerbaijan’s policy of cultural genocide, accepted the application and recognized the mentioned value as an intangible cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in urgent need of protection.
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On September 18, UNESCO’s official Facebook and Twitter pages shared information about the said application, where it was specifically stated: “Let’s immerse ourselves in the rich mosaic of Azerbaijani culture by placing a picture where the dance of the natives of Nakhichevan Yali (Kochari) was mentioned.
As a result of the just protest of the Armeniani side, UNESCO removed its records, proving that the Kochari dance is Armenian and no name change and manipulation can take it away from the Armenian people.
The text of the statement was prepared by the cultural heritage expert Armine Tigranyan
