Kingston, 5 December 2024 – UNESCO has inscribed the Revival ‘Pilgrimage To Watt Town’ on the Global List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and commended Jamaica for proposing the nomination which it said, “highlights the link between living heritage and cultural spaces.”

The Inscription was done on Wednesday (yesterday) during the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, taking place in Paraguay.

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport proposed the nomination.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, said the Inscription was a “signal honour for Revivalists and for Jamaica.”

She said the Inscription would "shine a light on Revivalism, giving it its rightful place among the cultural elements of humanity."

Minister Grange thanked the people who worked towards Inscription including the Revival community, the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

The Pilgrimage to Watt Town is an annual spiritual commemoration and celebration by Jamaican Revivalists which started just before the Great Revival of 1860. It is a testament to the endurance and vibrancy of some of our African retentions.

The Pilgrimage to Watt Town joins the Maroon Heritage of Moore Town (2008) and Reggae Music of Jamaica (2018) as elements from Jamaica to be Inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List on Minister Grange’s watch.

She said she was proud to have led the nomination of the three elements.

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