Art of Slovaks Living in Serbia on UNESCO Intangible Heritage List

Asuncion/Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The naive art of the Slovak minority living in Kovacica, Serbia, has been included on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, TASR has learnt from the Foreign Affairs Ministry's communications department. The decision was made at a meeting of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion on Tuesday (December 3). This art is characterised by "the depicting of the traditional cultural, historical, social and moral values of the community". Oil paints are used to portray the rural environment and everyday life. "The naive art of Kovacica is a unique legacy of the Slovak compatriots in Serbia, who came to Vojvodina [Kovacica is located in the autonomous province of Vojvodina - ed. note] more than 250 years ago," stated Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD). Currently, there are more than 41,000 people in Serbia who claim Slovak nationality. The Serbian Culture Ministry submitted an initiative for this type of art to be included on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List in 2023. lin/df/ko