“Nora” is a community-based ritual and artistic form of Dance Drama with deep cultural and social significance for Southern Thais with its uniqueness in singing and dancing performance. It also reflects their ancestral inheritance that have been passed down for generations. As “Nora” is well-known for its exquisite artistic form, it should be promoted in the international community.

On 15 December 2021, the online 16th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICS-ICH) decided to inscribe “Nora, Dance Drama in Southern Thailand” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (RL) under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage or the 2003 UNESCO Convention. This is the third inscription since Thailand has ratified the Convention.

The inscription marks another proud moment for Thailand and will significantly contribute to the international recognition of the values and importance of “Nora, Dance Drama in Southern Thailand” as the intangible cultural heritage on local traditional dance, as well as the manifestation of local wisdom and cultural diversity in the Southern region and in Thailand. The inscription would also encourage a strong role and participation of community in promoting the learning, access, development and safeguarding of such cultural heritage for the next generation.

The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted during the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003 and Thailand has become a party to the Convention since 10 September 2016. The Convention’s purposes are to safeguard practices, expressions, knowledge and skills which are recognized as intangible cultural heritage of a community, a group of people or individuals.

The inscription helps raise awareness at the local, national and international levels on the importance of the intangible cultural heritage and encourages international cooperation in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage which can be in the domains of oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledges and practices and traditional craftsmanship.

To date, Thailand has three elements inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, namely, Khon Masked Dance Drama (2018), Nuad Thai (2019), and Nora, Dance Drama (2021)