Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires“assets” or “heritage assets” means, irrespective of origin or (a) moveable or immoveable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological sites; groups of buildings which, as a whole, are of historical or artistic interest; works of art; manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest; as well as scientific collections and important collections of books or archives or of reproductions of the property defined above; (b) buildings whose main and effective purpose is to preserve or exhibit moveable property forming part of the heritage assets as defined in paragraph (a), such as museums, large libraries and depositories of archives, and refuges intended to shelter, in the event of National Cultural Heritage Preservation 9 armed conflict, moveable property heritage assets as defined in paragraph (a); (c) cemeteries, objects, and structures of historic, cultural, architectural, archaeological, scientific, artistic, ethnographic, paleontological or national interest and significance, and any information or data relating thereto; “Council” means the National Heritage Advisory Council established under Part III of this Act; “cultural property” means moveable or immoveable property forming part of the heritage assets; “designation” means designation by the Minister and includes the identification and listing of heritage assets such as buildings, in order to ensure that they are protected, to allow them to be passed on to future generations; “Fund” means the National Heritage Fund established under Part IV of this Act; “heritage objects” means collections of art objects, manuscripts, books, published material, archives, audio-visual material, reproductions of any of the preceding, collections of historical value, and other tangible heritage assets; “heritage places” means buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas, landscapes, groups of buildings, cemeteries, structures or land of historic, cultural, architectural, archaeological, scientific, artistic, ethnographic, paleontological or national interest or significance or closely connected to events of major historical importance which have contributed to national memory or to national historical identity; National Cultural Heritage 10 “historical building” means a building that is a heritage place; “Institute of Archaeology” means the Institute of Archaeology established under the National Institute of Culture and History Act; “intangible cultural includes the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills, as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith, that communities, groups and in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage such as oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage, the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship related to the purposes of this Act; “integrated conservation” means the whole range of measures aimed at ensuring the perpetuation of the cultural heritage, its maintenance as part of an appropriate environment, whether man made or natural, its utilization and its adaptation to the needs of society to be achieved through the revitalization and integration of cultural heritage within the physical environment of present day society and by assigning a social function to such cultural heritage compatible with its dignity and its setting; “list” means a list of listed properties; “listed property” means a property included in a list of properties prepared in accordance with this Act; “Minister” means the Minister with responsibility for culture; CAP. 331. “NICH” means the National Institute of Culture and History established under the National Institute of Culture and History Act; National Cultural Heritage Preservation 11 “Plan” means the National Heritage Protection Plan prepared in accordance with Part V of this Act; “President” means the President of NICH; “Register” means the National Heritage Asset Register kept under section 32; “restoration” means a highly specialized activity to conserve the integrity of a heritage asset to reveal its cultural values and to improve the legibility of its original state, form and design, within the limits of still existing material; “safeguard” in relation to intangible cultural heritage means measures aimed at ensuring the viability of the intangible cultural heritage, including the identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement, transmission, particularly through formal and non-formal education, as well as the revitalization of the various aspects of such heritage.