Norwegian folk music is worth preserving, says the UN

SETESDAL, A WINDINGTVUNESCOUNUN valley to the north of Kristiansand in southern Norway, was once a place of traditions little changed since medieval times. Chief among these were song and dance marked by improvisation and a beat as visceral as the blues. Birth, death and every step in between happened to music. But over the years radio, and then the internet wormed their way into its hamlets. Now only a handful of stalwarts know the old tunes and dances. Fearing that they might disappear, , the ’s culture agency, gave Setesdal a listing at the end of 2019.A convention on safeguarding “intangible cultural heritage”, agreed in 2003, requires states to act to preserve whatever is listed within their jurisdiction within six years. “For us, this was an alarm bell,” says Annbjorg Lien, who has the job of reviving folk traditions in the Setesdal municipality.