A PILOT PROJECT TO SAFEGUARD THE ORAL MEMORY
Within the framework of the 'Tourism Governance and Revitalization Plan 2023-2025' for areas impacted by the fire in Vall d'Ebo in 2022, MACMA has initiated a pilot project to capture the voices of the elderly individuals residing in the 9 municipalities affected by the fire and who are part of the Mancomunitat Comarcal.
This venture, known as 'Voices of the Territory', aims to showcase the intangible cultural heritage of the villages in the Marina Alta region. This scheme is a component of the "Pla Ambiental" (Environmental Plan), which comprises various measures and concentrates on collating the spoken recollections of the inhabitants of the townships. Spoken recollection is a delicate and vulnerable type of heritage, which is transmitted from generation to generation and possesses significant cultural worth. This heritage comprises traditions, place names, musical compositions, vocational skills and jests. The archive will offer unique features and options such as generating travel exhibits, interactive pathways, or even a virtual museum, if deemed suitable. The primary goal of the project is to create an audiovisual archive for future use in the region. In essence, the aim is to produce a heritage and cultural resource to aid sustainable tourism in the Marina Alta locale.
The pilot phase of the project will launch in the territories surrounding Vall de Laguar, Castell de Castells, Orba, Sagra, Pego, la Vall d'Alcalà, Vall de Gallinera, la Vall d'Ebo, and L'Atzúbia Forna, which were significantly affected by the 2022 fire. Nuria Gómez Bolufer, the Mancomunidad's culture and heritage technician, however, stated that the project aims to gather oral interviews in order to document the intangible heritage of the 33 municipalities and 3 EATIMS comprised in the Marina Alta region. The project aims to collect data on the cultural traditions, trades and customs of the region that may have already been lost over time. The information will be gathered through interviews with locals.
Alicia Peris Valentín, a sociologist from the UA Rural Internship programme, is supporting the project and will work over the summer in Marina Alta to digitise and transcribe the collected information.
According to statements made by the acting president José Ramiro Pastor, it is essential for MACMA to implement the "Les Veus del Territori" project throughout the Marina Alta region. This project will facilitate the collection and categorisation of the intangible historical treasures of the area by gathering oral histories of the region's oldest inhabitants. By conducting interviews with local residents, we can reconstruct the history of Marina Alta in a tangible way and preserve its intangible heritage. This approach minimises the risk of losing valuable aspects of the region's cultural identity.
In order to fulfil the project's aims, MACMA will visit all of the aforementioned municipalities and undertake two actions in each visited location.
A) "Berenars de Records": A collective interview in the form of a colloquium for individuals over 65. The MACMA will provide sweet coca and horchata as refreshments, and the entire colloquium will be recorded for future digitalisation.
B) Individual interviews: It will be conducted with village residents aged over 70 who have personal stories to share about their family history or experiences in trades that no longer exist. The Mancomunidad is collaborating with local authorities to ensure that the oldest members of the community are interviewed. The interviews will take place in the participants' homes to facilitate their involvement.
To ensure the preservation and transmission of the Marina Alta's intangible heritage, the organisation requests the contribution of photographic resources or objects during interviews to supplement the collected information.
Contact Núria at 659 219 476 for more information.
