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The Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo
Republic had submitted a joint bid for their rumba to receive
heritage status for its unique sound that melds the drumming of
enslaved Africans with the melodies of Spanish colonisers.
"The rumba is used for celebration and mourning, in private,
public and religious spaces," UNESCO, the United Nations'
cultural and scientific agency, said in its citation for the
music's addition to its list of assets of intangible cultural
value to humanity.
Rumba is an essential and representative part of the identity of
Congolese people and their diaspora, it said.
"The President of the Republic welcomes with joy and pride the
addition of Congolese rumba to the list," the office of
Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi tweeted.
The many customs enshrined on UNESCO's list of cultural
treasures include the hawker food of Singapore, sauna culture in
Finland and traditional irrigation systems in the United Arab
Emirates.
(Reporting by Alessandra Prentice in Dakar and Fiston Mahamba in
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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