A castell ( Catalan pronunciation: [kəsˈteʎ] : literally, castle ) is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in a part of Catalonia (Spain), now also found in the rest of Catalonia, in the Balearic islands and in the Valencian Community .
58-638: At these festivals, several colles castelleres (teams that build towers) attempt to build and then dismantle a tower's structure. On 16 November 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity . Although based on the earlier traditional Muixeranga of Algemesí in Valencia, the tradition of castells within Catalonia originated in
116-741: A non-governmental organization in the service of international educational development since December 1925 and joined UNESCO in 1969, after having established a joint commission in 1952. After the signing of the Atlantic Charter and the Declaration of the United Nations , the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) began meetings in London which continued from 16 November 1942 to 5 December 1945. On 30 October 1943,
174-557: A specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It has 194 member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental , intergovernmental and private sector . Headquartered in Paris , France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions. UNESCO
232-422: A tres de vuit (abbreviated 3d8) denotes a tower with three people per level and eight levels. (Only the first five levels will have three people per level. The pom de dalt , see below, is reckoned as making up the top three levels.) Very high towers and ones with a small number of people on each level normally need extra support from the base or bottom levels. These base levels are frequently indicated as part of
290-477: A Commission to study the feasibility of having nations freely share cultural, educational and scientific achievements. This new body, the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC), was created in 1922 and counted such figures as Henri Bergson , Albert Einstein , Marie Curie , Robert A. Millikan , and Gonzague de Reynold among its members (being thus a small commission of
348-482: A Preparatory Commission was established. The Preparatory Commission operated between 16 November 1945, and 4 November 1946 — the date when UNESCO's Constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state. The first General Conference took place from 19 November to 10 December 1946, and elected Julian Huxley to Director-General. United States Army colonel, university president and civil rights advocate Blake R. Van Leer joined as
406-679: A United Nations Conference for the establishment of an educational and cultural organization (ECO/CONF) was convened in London from 1 to 16 November 1945 with 44 governments represented. The idea of UNESCO was largely developed by Rab Butler , the Minister of Education for the United Kingdom, who had a great deal of influence in its development. At the ECO/CONF, the Constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries, and
464-663: A biennium, as well as links to relevant programmatic and financial documents. These two distinct sets of information are published on the IATI registry, respectively based on the IATI Activity Standard and the IATI Organization Standard. There have been proposals to establish two new UNESCO lists. The first proposed list will focus on movable cultural heritage such as artifacts, paintings, and biofacts. The list may include cultural objects, such as
522-498: A declaration of anthropologists (among them was Claude Lévi-Strauss ) and other scientists in 1950 and concluding with the 1978 Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice . In 1955, the Republic of South Africa withdrew from UNESCO saying that some of the organization's publications amounted to "interference" in the country's "racial problems". It rejoined the organization in 1994 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela . One of
580-552: A full member. As a result, the United States withdrew its funding, which had accounted for about 22% of UNESCO's budget. Israel also reacted to Palestine's admittance to UNESCO by freezing Israeli payments to UNESCO and imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority , stating that Palestine's admittance would be detrimental "to potential peace talks". Two years after stopping payment of its dues to UNESCO,
638-423: A given colla , often bearing the team's emblem. For instance, Castellers de Barcelona team wear red shirts while Castellers de Vilafranca wear green shirts and are often called "els verds" referencing their uniform. The sash ( faixa ) is the most important part of their outfit. It represents the tradition as a whole, and one only wears a faixa when being a casteller. The sash is also believed to support
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#1732772781948696-547: A global movement in 1990 to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults. In 2000, World Education Forum in Dakar , Senegal, led member governments to commit for achieving basic education for all in 2015. The World Declaration on Higher Education was adopted by UNESCO's World Conference on Higher Education on 9 October 1998, with the aim of setting global standards on the ideals and accessibility of higher education . UNESCO's early activities in culture included
754-431: A hush comes over spectators of the event. The upper layers of the tower are built as quickly as possible in order to put minimal strain on the lower castellers , who bear most of the weight of the castell . The disassembly of the castell , done amidst the cheering of the crowd, is often the most treacherous stage of the event. A castell can also be aixecat per sota ("raised from below"). In this technique, rather than
812-634: A member as well. The Constitution was amended in November 1954 when the General Conference resolved that members of the executive board would be representatives of the governments of the States of which they are nationals and would not, as before, act in their personal capacity. This change in governance distinguished UNESCO from its predecessor, the ICIC, in how member states would work together in
870-483: A multi-tiered structure and the highest has a height spanning of nine or ten people from ground up. The motto of Castellers is "Força, equilibri, valor i seny" (Strength, balance, courage and common sense). This motto is taken from a verse of Els Xiquets de Valls by Josep Anselm Clavé , a Catalonian politician and composer. Accidents are rare during the construction of a castell; however, as in every other crowded cultural event, ambulances are stationed nearby in case
928-580: A participant was in 1983 in Torredembarra . There have only ever been four recorded mortalities from participating in castells . Since the introduction of the helmets, there have been no cases of traumatic brain injury among children participating in castells. Castells are primarily described by the number of people in each level of the tronc and the total number of levels and, where applicable, any special construction technique used. Levels are composed of between one and five individuals standing on
986-467: A person needs immediate attention. Fatal accidents do occur; the most recent was on 15 September 2011 when a man broke his second cervical vertebrae after falling from a castell . On 23 July 2006, in Mataró , a young casteller fell off the formation of a castell and died. This led to the requirement of specially designed helmets for all children participating in castells . Prior to this, the last death of
1044-444: A platform for the dialogue between cultures and provide a forum for international debate". Since March 2006 it has been available free online, with limited printed issues. Its articles express the opinions of the authors which are not necessarily the opinions of UNESCO. There was a hiatus in publishing between 2012 and 2017. In 1950, UNESCO initiated the quarterly review Impact of Science on Society (also known as Impact ) to discuss
1102-521: Is a team of castellers from Barcelona founded in 1969. It is the first team to be founded outside the traditional area of human towers and the 5th team ever founded. Their first public display was 8 June 1969 in Vendrell . Their shirt is red, and their most important appointment is the closest Sunday to Dia de la Mercè (24 September), in Plaça Sant Jaume . In 2000, the group received
1160-499: Is another example of an early major UNESCO project in the field of natural sciences. In 1968, UNESCO organized the first intergovernmental conference aimed at reconciling the environment and development, a problem that continues to be addressed in the field of sustainable development . The main outcome of the 1968 conference was the creation of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme . UNESCO has been credited with
1218-454: Is corrupted and manipulated by Israel's enemies... we are not going to be a member of an organisation that deliberately acts against us". 2023 saw Russia excluded from the executive committee for the first time, after failing to get sufficient votes. The United States stated its intent to rejoin UNESCO in 2023, 5 years after leaving, and to pay its $ 600 million in back dues. The United States
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#17327727819481276-419: Is formed. People forming higher levels of the tower move to a position from which they can easily get to their places in the tower. This is done slowly and carefully, and as subsequent base levels are completed the castellers in the pinya determine if their base is solid enough for construction to continue. Then, when the signal to proceed is given, bands begin to play the traditional Toc de Castells music as
1334-461: Is governed by the General Conference composed of member states and associate members, which meets biannually to set the agency's programs and budget. It also elects members of the executive board, which manages UNESCO's work, and appoints every four years a Director-General, who serves as UNESCO's chief administrator. UNESCO and its mandate for international cooperation can be traced back to a League of Nations resolution on 21 September 1921, to elect
1392-844: The Acropolis of Athens (Greece). The organization's work on heritage led to the adoption, in 1972, of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In 1976, the World Heritage Committee was established and the first sites were included on the World Heritage List in 1978. Since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 (Convention for
1450-477: The Ball dels Valencians (Valencian Dance) in the town of Valls , near the city of Tarragona , first documented in 1712. Over the course of the 18th century, they spread to other towns and cities in the area, including Vilafranca del Penedès and Tarragona , though it was not until the last 50 years that the practice of building castells began to spread to the rest of Catalonia. Interest in castells began to grow in
1508-781: The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia , launched in 1960. The purpose of the campaign was to move the Great Temple of Abu Simbel to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after the construction of the Aswan Dam . During the 20-year campaign, 22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated. This was the first and largest in a series of campaigns including Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan), Fes (Morocco), Kathmandu (Nepal), Borobudur (Indonesia) and
1566-1002: The Jōmon Venus of Japan, the Mona Lisa of France, the Gebel el-Arak Knife of Egypt , The Ninth Wave of Russia, the Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük of Turkey, the David (Michelangelo) of Italy, the Mathura Herakles of India, the Manunggul Jar of the Philippines, the Crown of Baekje of South Korea, The Hay Wain of the United Kingdom and the Benin Bronzes of Nigeria. The second proposed list will focus on
1624-745: The Muixeranga , which is performed in the Valencian city of Algemesí , and in other places in the Valencian Land and Catalonia, where it is often called the moixiganga . In 2015 the Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya hosted 99 groups, including Castellers de Vilafranca and Minyons de Terrassa , who were able to construct the tallest human tower to date, the "4 de 10" (10 levels of people with four in each level). These icons of Catalan culture and sports were featured in
1682-428: The United Nations member states (except Israel and Liechtenstein ), as well as Cook Islands , Niue and Palestine . The United States and Israel left UNESCO on 31 December 2018, but the United States rejoined in 2023. As of June 2023 , there have been 11 Directors-General of UNESCO since its inception – nine men and two women. The 11 Directors-General of UNESCO have come from six regions within
1740-427: The enxaneta climbs into place at the top and raises one open hand. The enxaneta then climbs down the other side of the castell , after which the remaining levels of castellers descend in highest to lowest order until all have reached safety. Aside from the people who climb to form the upper parts of the tower, others are needed to form the pinya , or bottom base of the castell , to sustain its weight. Members of
1798-512: The opening ceremony of the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics . In Catalan , the word castell literally translates into castle , while in English its meaning is specifically that of a human tower. A castell is considered a success when assembly and disassembly can be done in complete succession. The assembly is complete once all castellers have climbed into their designated places, and
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1856-408: The pinya (most often men) also act as a 'safety net' if the tower structure collapses, cushioning the fall of people from the upper levels. It is not uncommon—when not in competitions—for other colles to assist in the pinya when a small colla is attempting a specially demanding structure in terms of people needed. The castell is built in two phases. First, the pinya — the base of the tower —
1914-531: The 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, the inclusion of women in the formerly male-only discipline ushered in the second època d'or (golden age) of castells; the presence of women is credited with allowing castells to be built lighter and stronger, enabling the construction of previously undreamed-of 9- and 10-story castells. While in Catalonia, the Ball dels Valencians began to focus more on the acrobatic nature of building ever taller human towers, their more religious and allegorical predecessors retain their traditions:
1972-838: The Directors-General of UNESCO since its establishment in 1946 is as follows: This is the list of the sessions of the UNESCO General Conference held since 1946: Ahmet Altay Cengizer Biennial elections are held, with 58 elected representatives holding office for four years. [REDACTED] Finland [REDACTED] Portugal [REDACTED] Turkey [REDACTED] Albania [REDACTED] Belarus [REDACTED] Bulgaria [REDACTED] Cuba [REDACTED] Grenada [REDACTED] Jamaica [REDACTED] Saint Lucia [REDACTED] Saint Vincent and
2030-1890: The Grenadines [REDACTED] Venezuela [REDACTED] Bangladesh [REDACTED] China [REDACTED] India [REDACTED] Indonesia [REDACTED] Japan [REDACTED] Philippines [REDACTED] Burundi [REDACTED] Equatorial Guinea [REDACTED] Ethiopia [REDACTED] Madagascar [REDACTED] Zambia [REDACTED] Zimbabwe [REDACTED] Egypt [REDACTED] Jordan [REDACTED] Morocco [REDACTED] France [REDACTED] Germany [REDACTED] Italy [REDACTED] Netherlands [REDACTED] Spain [REDACTED] Switzerland [REDACTED] Hungary [REDACTED] Poland [REDACTED] Russia [REDACTED] Serbia [REDACTED] Argentina [REDACTED] Brazil [REDACTED] Dominican Republic [REDACTED] Uruguay [REDACTED] Afghanistan [REDACTED] Kyrgyzstan [REDACTED] Philippines [REDACTED] Pakistan [REDACTED] South Korea [REDACTED] Thailand [REDACTED] Benin [REDACTED] Congo [REDACTED] Guinea [REDACTED] Ghana [REDACTED] Kenya [REDACTED] Namibia [REDACTED] Senegal [REDACTED] Togo [REDACTED] Saudi Arabia [REDACTED] UAE [REDACTED] Tunisia Castellers de Barcelona Castellers de Barcelona ( Catalan pronunciation: [kəstəˈʎez ðə βəɾsəˈlonə] )
2088-644: The League of Nations essentially centred on Western Europe ). The International Institute for Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC) was then created in Paris in September 1924, to act as the executing agency for the ICIC. However, the onset of World War II largely interrupted the work of these predecessor organizations. As for private initiatives, the International Bureau of Education (IBE) began to work as
2146-628: The Medal of Honor of Barcelona and two years later (December 3, 2002), for its castellera and civic trajectory, the Castellers of Barcelona were distinguished with the Cross of St. George Award by the Generalitat of Catalonia. They have crowned almost all the human towers on the range of eight stories and the basic ones of nine. The best human towers crowned by the team are: 5 of 8, 4 of 8 with
2204-836: The Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ) and 2005 ( Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions ). An intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951 led to the creation of the European Council for Nuclear Research , which was responsible for establishing the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) later on, in 1954. Arid Zone programming, 1948–1966,
2262-548: The United States and Israel lost UNESCO voting rights in 2013 without losing the right to be elected; thus, the United States was elected as a member of the executive board for the period 2016–19. In 2019, Israel left UNESCO after 69 years of membership, with Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon writing: "UNESCO is the body that continually rewrites history, including by erasing the Jewish connection to Jerusalem... it
2320-757: The commission, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Seán MacBride ). The same year, UNESCO created the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), a multilateral forum designed to promote media development in developing countries. In 1993, UNESCO's General Conference endorsed the Windhoek Declaration on media independence and pluralism, which led the UN General Assembly to declare
2378-533: The date of its adoption, 3 May, as World Press Freedom Day . Since 1997, UNESCO has awarded the UNESCO / Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize every 3 May. UNESCO admitted Palestine as a member in 2011. Laws passed in the United States after Palestine applied for UNESCO and WHO membership in April 1989 mean that the United States cannot contribute financially to any UN organization that accepts Palestine as
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2436-489: The diffusion of national science bureaucracies. In the field of communication, the "free flow of ideas by word and image" has been in UNESCO's constitution since it was established, following the experience of the Second World War when control of information was a factor in indoctrinating populations for aggression. In the years immediately following World War II, efforts were concentrated on reconstruction and on
2494-565: The early work of UNESCO in the education field was a pilot project on fundamental education in the Marbial Valley, Haiti, which was launched in 1947. Following this project one of expert missions to other countries, included a 1949 mission to Afghanistan. UNESCO recommended in 1948 that Member countries should make free primary education compulsory and universal. The World Conference on Education for All , in Jomtien , Thailand, started
2552-540: The identification of needs for means of mass communication around the world. UNESCO started organizing training and education for journalists in the 1950s. In response to calls for a " New World Information and Communication Order " in the late 1970s, UNESCO established the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems, which produced the 1980 MacBride report (named after the chair of
2610-529: The influence of science on society. The journal ceased publication in 1992. UNESCO also published Museum International Quarterly from the year 1948. UNESCO has official relations with 322 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Most of these are what UNESCO calls "operational"; a select few are "formal". The highest form of affiliation to UNESCO is "formal associate", and the 22 NGOs with formal associate (ASC) relations occupying offices at UNESCO are: The institutes are specialized departments of
2668-609: The lower back, and it is used by other castellers in the team as a foothold or handhold when climbing up the tower. This tasselled piece of cloth varies in length and width and depends on the casteller's position inside the tower and also on choice. The length of the sash ranges from 1.5 to 12m and usually is shorter for those higher up in the castell . Performing castellers usually go barefoot as to minimise injuries upon each other as they climb to their positions and also for sensitivity when balancing and to have better feel and hold each other. The arrangement of castellers can be into
2726-417: The lower levels being built first with subsequent layers added on top, the top layers are formed on the ground and then hoisted into the air level by level, with each successive layer being formed underneath. This is regarded as taking a great deal of practice, skill, and strength. Typically castellers wear white trousers, a black sash ( faixa ), a bandana ( mocador ), and a shirt in a color characteristic of
2784-468: The name of the tower. Three kinds of base levels are most commonly used: The term amb l'agulla ("with the needle") refers to a high column of one person per level which is built inside the main tower. When the castell is being dismantled, the agulla must remain standing until the outside part of the castell is already down. Terms denoting special construction techniques include: Another aspect of castell nomenclature refers to how successfully
2842-775: The necessity for an international organization was expressed in the Moscow Declaration, agreed upon by China , the United Kingdom, the United States and the USSR. This was followed by the Dumbarton Oaks Conference proposals of 9 October 1944. Upon the proposal of CAME and in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), held in San Francisco from April to June 1945,
2900-576: The needle, 3 of 9 with extra base, 4 of 9 with extra base, 7 of 8 and the pillar of 7 with extra base. They have received the following awards: the Creu de Sant Jordi of Generalitat de Catalunya , the Medal of Honor of Barcelona and the Sant Martí award from the Sant Martí (district) of Barcelona . Founder Josep Sala Mañé died in April 2020 from coronavirus. This folklore -related article
2958-582: The organization that support UNESCO's programme, providing specialized support for cluster and national offices. UNESCO awards 26 prizes in education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, communication and information as well as peace: International Days observed at UNESCO are provided in the table below: As of July 2023 , UNESCO has 194 member states and 12 associate members. Some members are not independent states and some members have additional National Organizing Committees from some of their dependent territories . UNESCO state parties are
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#17327727819483016-445: The organization's fields of competence. As member states worked together over time to realize UNESCO's mandate, political and historical factors have shaped the organization's operations in particular during the Cold War , the decolonization process, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union . Among the major achievements of the organization is its work against racism, for example through influential statements on race starting with
3074-401: The organization: West Europe (5), Central America (1), North America (2), West Africa (1), East Asia (1), and East Europe (1). To date, there has been no elected Director-General from the remaining ten regions within UNESCO: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central and North Asia, Middle East, North Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, Australia-Oceania, and South America. The list of
3132-437: The shoulders of the level below. Common terms indicating the number of people for each level of a tower: Castells with more than four people per level are composite structures. For example, the levels of a cinc are not pentagons; instead, the cinc amounts to a tres and a torre fused together (3 + 2 = 5), each level forming a figure-eight shape if seen from above. Numbers of levels most commonly built: For example,
3190-400: The tower was completed. Four terms are used: In Valls , the Món Casteller Human Tower Museum of Catalonia is being built. The project is designed as a place of reference for the human tower universe where experiences can be lived out. UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ; pronounced / j uː ˈ n ɛ s k oʊ / ) is
3248-461: The world's living species, such as the komodo dragon of Indonesia, the panda of China, the bald eagle of North American countries, the aye-aye of Madagascar, the Asiatic lion of India, the kākāpō of New Zealand, and the mountain tapir of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. UNESCO and its specialized institutions issue a number of magazines. Created in 1945, The UNESCO Courier magazine states its mission to "promote UNESCO's ideals, maintain
3306-848: Was founded in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations ' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation . UNESCO's founding mission, which was shaped by the events of World War II , is to advance peace , sustainable development and human rights by facilitating collaboration and dialogue among nations. It pursues this objective through five major programme areas: education, natural sciences , social / human sciences , culture and communication/information. UNESCO sponsors projects that improve literacy , provide technical training and education, advance science, protect independent media and press freedom , preserve regional and cultural history , and promote cultural diversity . The organization prominently helps establish and secure World Heritage Sites of cultural and natural importance. UNESCO
3364-455: Was readmitted by the UNESCO General Conference that July. UNESCO implements its activities through five programme areas: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. UNESCO does not accredit institutions of higher learning. The UNESCO transparency portal has been designed to enable public access to information regarding the Organization's activities, such as its aggregate budget for
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