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Tunisia's Harissa Gets UNESCO Heritage Status

The Tunisian spicy condiment Harissa usually prepared in a family or community setting won a place on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. AFP
The Tunisian spicy condiment Harissa usually prepared in a family or community setting won a place on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. AFP
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Tunisia's Harissa Gets UNESCO Heritage Status

The Tunisian spicy condiment Harissa usually prepared in a family or community setting won a place on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. AFP
The Tunisian spicy condiment Harissa usually prepared in a family or community setting won a place on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. AFP

UNESCO on Thursday added Tunisia's spicy national condiment Harissa to its list of intangible cultural heritage, saying it was part of the North African country's identity.

The United Nations' cultural agency is meeting in Morocco to examine proposals for its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which aims to protect cultural traditions, practices and knowledge.

"Just inscribed on the #IntangibleHeritage List: Harissa, knowledge, skills and culinary and social practices," it tweeted on Thursday.

Harissa is a paste made with sun-dried hot peppers, freshly prepared spices and olive oil, which preserves it and slightly reduces its spiciness. It is found in almost every restaurant in Tunisia and also exported worldwide.

Tunisia's application for the status notes that Harissa is "an integral part of domestic provisions and the daily culinary and food traditions of Tunisian society", usually prepared in a family or community setting, AFP reported.

"Harissa is used as a condiment, an ingredient, and even a dish in its own right, and is well-known throughout Tunisia, where it is consumed and produced, particularly in the regions where chili peppers are grown," it said.

"It is perceived as an identifying element of national culinary heritage, and a factor of social cohesion."

The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage aims to safeguard and raise awareness about the "intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned".

UNESCO stresses that the list honors traditions, practices and knowledge and all such forms of culture that are "human treasures" that must be protected.

On Wednesday the organization also recognized French baguettes, adding them to more than 530 items on the list.

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Man Says He Was behind Some of the Viral Googly Eyes on Public Art in Oregon

This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
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Man Says He Was behind Some of the Viral Googly Eyes on Public Art in Oregon

This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)

A resident of the central Oregon city of Bend says he was the person behind some of the googly eyes that appeared on sculptures around the city in recent months and sparked a viral sensation widely covered by news outlets.

Jeff Keith, founder of a Bend-based nonprofit called Guardian Group that works to combat human trafficking, said Friday that he used duct tape to attach googly eyes to two sculptures. He said he has carried out similar pranks on other Bend sculptures before — such as adorning them with hula skirts and leis — and that they serve as a respite from the emotional toll of his work.

“It is a place for me to cope with some pretty heavy stuff,” he told The Associated Press, noting that many of the trafficking victims he has worked with have been through “unimaginable trauma.”

The city shared photos of the googly eye installations on social media in early December, saying the adhesives can damage the art. One photo shows googly eyes placed on a sculpture of two deer — which Keith described as his handiwork — while another shows them attached to a sphere. City officials at the time said eight sculptures were affected and that it cost $1,500 to remove the googly eyes.

The social media posts prompted a cascade of comments, with many social media users saying they liked the googly eyes and that the city shouldn’t spend time and money on removing them. The post and its comments were covered by news outlets, and even made it on a segment of CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Keith said he didn't expect his exploits to receive that much attention, and that he went to city offices to offer to pay for any damages. The city didn't immediately respond Friday to an emailed request seeking confirmation and comment.

Bend's communications director, Rene Mitchell, told The Associated Press last month that the city regretted that its post had been misunderstood. She said there was no intent to be “heavy-handed” and that the posts were meant to raise awareness about the damage adhesives can do to the city's public art collection. The city had started treating some of the art pieces, she said, which are made of different types of metal such as bronze and steel.

Keith, who has lived in Bend for nearly two decades, said he also hopes his pranks bring some humor and joy into people's everyday lives.

“I think the biggest thing is, for me, just to get a laugh,” he said. “When I come up on these roundabouts and I see families laughing, like hysterically laughing at these, it makes for a good time.”