Ulaanbaatar
New cultural heritage theater to be established
Art & Culture
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On December 17, the National Center for Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, the Arts Council of Mongolia, and Rio Tinto Mongolia signed a tripartite cooperation agreement to promote cultural heritage.
Within the framework of the agreement, a new 162-square-meter mini theater with a capacity of 100 audiences will be established inside the National Centre for Cultural Heritage next year for promoting, heritage training, researching, documenting, performing, and exhibiting Mongolian intellectual and cultural values.
Rio Tinto Mongolia has agreed to invest MNT 440 million in the cultural heritage sector for the interior construction work and procurement of theater stage, lighting, audio, and video equipment.
The cultural heritage theater differs from the professional theater ensembles and art schools in that it regularly presents performances of “Living human treasure” talented tradition bearers and practitioners to transmit their knowledge and skills. One of the biggest threats to the viability of Intangible Cultural Heritage is posed by declining numbers of practitioners of traditional craftsmanship, music, dance, or theatre, and of those who are in a position to learn from them. Of the 10,849 heritage practitioners registered in Mongolia, 71 percent are traditional folk art and 26 percent are traditional handicrafts, which will be the main users of the new cultural heritage theater.
With a history of nearly 150 years, the Rio Tinto Group has a special policy and program for the preservation and protection of cultural heritage, in which it makes cultural heritage a priority of its corporate social responsibility and sustained partnership with arts and cultural organizations. For example, the “Cultural Naadam” event, which aims to promote cultural heritage, has been organized for many years at Khui 7 Khudag as an annual festival in cooperation with the Arts Council of Mongolia and has contributed to the dissemination of cultural heritage. An effective way to safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage sustainably is to ensure that the bearers of that heritage continue to transmit their knowledge and skills to younger generations. This time, Rio Tinto Mongolia, a cultural heritage supporter, will establish a new cultural heritage theater, which will organize heritage training, performances, exhibitions, and film screenings annually to about 40 non-government organizations, 2,000 heritage practitioners involving more than 10,000 children and youth.
The Arts Council of Mongolia
