UNESCO officially adds Reggae Music as a cultural Heritage worth protecting

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized reggae music as a cultural treasure that should be protected.

According to the BBC on Thursday, UNESCO acknowledged that reggae’s “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual,” noting that “the basic social functions of the music — as a vehicle for social commentary, a cathartic practice, and a means of praising God — have not changed, and the music continues to act as a voice for all.”

The popular genre which developed in the early 60s from the streets of Jamaica inspired by artists like Toots, the Maytals, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, has recently been added to the UN’s collection of cultural treasures due to its “intangible cultural heritage”.