On the face of it, not much appears to link the French baguette, Japan’s ritual furyu-odori dances, a cold North Korean noodle dish called naengmyeon, Pyrenean bear festivities and Kun L’bokator, the traditional martial arts of Cambodia.
But all have just been recognised as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage by a 24-member Unesco committee, meeting this week in Rabat to consider whether 56 proposed “human treasures” merit adding to the 600-odd already on the list.
