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Morocco's Malhun on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

A group of Moroccan artists playing music (UNESCO)
A group of Moroccan artists playing music (UNESCO)
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Morocco's Malhun on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

A group of Moroccan artists playing music (UNESCO)
A group of Moroccan artists playing music (UNESCO)

UNESCO will be including Malhun, a popular poetic and musical art, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, announced Morocco's Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication.
Malhun originated in the Tafilalet region in southeastern Morocco, dating back to at least the tenth century. It may have emerged in zawiyas, religious orders, and places for those of faith before spreading to society.
The listing is an international recognition of the authentic Moroccan heritage and a reference to the ancient Moroccan identity and cultural component.
The international recognition is a confirmation of Moroccan efforts under the leadership of King Mohammed VI to conserve the cultural heritage.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture Samira Malizi thanked the evaluation committee and the secretariat of the 2003 agreement for including Malhun on the list.
Malhun is a popular form of poetic expression in Morocco. The verses are sung in dialectical Arabic and sometimes Hebrew.
They are accompanied by music played on traditional instruments, notably the lute, the violin, the rebab, and small drums.
Including Malhun on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is an acknowledgment of its humanitarian significance and of Morocco's efforts to preserve its intangible cultural heritage.
It also rewards the great collective work the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication carried out in cooperation with the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and Morocco's Permanent Mission to UNESCO.
According to the file submitted by the UNESCO Nominations Commission, Malhun is a popular form of poetic expression directly drawn from daily life, developed according to a specific type of poetic meter. The poems are sung in a melody that gives the words and the narration their full importance.
According to specialists, the term's etymology has two possible explanations. It could refer to the use of a language without observing grammatical restrictions or the Arabic word "lahen" (melody), meaning "musical composition."

 

 

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Southern California Wildfires Claim Will Rogers Ranch, Other Landmarks

The devastation of the Palisades Fire is seen in the early morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
The devastation of the Palisades Fire is seen in the early morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
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Southern California Wildfires Claim Will Rogers Ranch, Other Landmarks

The devastation of the Palisades Fire is seen in the early morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
The devastation of the Palisades Fire is seen in the early morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)

Raging wildfires that continue to burn a path of destruction through Southern California claimed the Will Rogers ranch along with a number of other local landmarks in what is already the most damaging fire in Los Angeles history.

Some monuments remain unscathed, such as the famous Hollywood sign that looms above the city in the Santa Monica mountains, and the Getty Villa, a museum named for billionaire oilman J. Paul Getty that houses a collection of artifacts and antiquities.

However, the Will Rogers ranch, home to the one-time vaudeville performer who rose to fame as a syndicated newspaper columnist, "cowboy philosopher," radio personality and movie star, was gutted on Tuesday by the Palisades Fire.

State parks employees were able to remove some of the cultural and historical artifacts from the Rogers home, though the 31-room ranch house and stables are gone. All that remains are two chimneys.

It is unclear whether touchstones from Rogers' life, such as a light fixture made from a wagon wheel and a stuffed calf that a friend gave him so he could rope on rainy day, were recovered.

"When you were there, you could really feel the guy’s presence," said Ben Yagoda, author of "Will Rogers: A Biography," who became overcome with emotion while discussing the loss. "It was kept exactly how they had it. It’s just such a lovely location and it’s very, very peaceful."

Another casualty of the fire was the Topanga Ranch Motel once owned by publisher William Randolph Hearst.

In Altadena, the Eaton Fire claimed the Bunny Museum, the quirky home to more than 46,000 rabbit-themed objects that owners Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski collected over four decades. The museum, which earned a Guinness world record for amassing the most bunny-related items, was leveled by fire on Wednesday, despite attempts by Lubanski to save it.

"The museum was the last building to burn around us as Steve so valiantly hosed the building down all night long, but when the building next door went down, it spread to the museum," the owners wrote on Instagram.

The Reel Inn, a seafood shack on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, was heavily damaged by the Palisades Fire. The restaurant known for its kitschy decor of faux sea creatures and twinkling lights was a local favorite, according to one review from Travel + Leisure.

"We are heartbroken and unsure what will be left," owners Teddy and Andy Leonard wrote on Instagram. "Hopefully, the state parks will let us rebuild when the dust settles."

The Queen Anne Victorian-style mansion Rand McNally co-founder Andrew McNally built in the late 1800s in Altadena was among the homes destroyed on Wednesday, according to video of the fire captured by ABC News.

"We aren't just losing homes -- we're losing history, culture, and pieces of our shared history," wrote Eric B. on the social media platform X.