5 Nobel lauteates call for protecting of endangered cultural heritage
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- Whale Worshipping Festival recognised as cultural heritage
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They said, throughout the world, wars and terrorism are threatening our sometimes age-old heritage which bears witness to the diversity of human civilization and our shared humanity.
In addition to the tragedy of civilian populations persecuted due to their backgrounds, convictions or beliefs, forced to choose between death or exile, comes the trafficking, looting and destruction of the global public property that is our cultural heritage.
Items have been destroyed in Bamiyan, Mosul, Palmyra, Timbuktu and elsewhere, in acts which targeted the whole of humanity. Part of history has been lost forever, with the goal of fanaticism being to undermine our hope for the future.
So everyone must fight back against this determination to reduce most ancient heritage to ashes. Urgent action must be taken - the time for powerless expressions of indignation is over.