Argentina’s Last Tango saved by UNESCO?

In the midst of all the heavy economic and financial news, I would like to propose something on a lighter note – as UNESCO have just declared the Tango part of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in an attempt to preserve it and a list of other national legacies under threat from global change. Also under consideration for inclusion in the list is Belgium’s Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges while China has nominated several of its artistic traditions, including the Tibetan opera. Such heritages, say UNESCO, “transmit from “generation to generation” and give “communities and groups a feeling of identity”.

The Tango does have a significant role to play in Argentina’s economy particularly in relation to tourism. Swine flu and the financial crisis have combined to hit hard the number of tourists travelling to Argentina, and some tango shows have been forced to close temporarily, according to Luis Veiga, president of Argentina’s chamber of Tango venues. Visitors to Buenos Aires can take in dinner while they watch a tango show, or even learn the dance at a tango salon. The growth of tango venues came about after the fall of the Argentine economy at the end of 2001. This article goes on to explain that the weakness of the Peso made Argentina very attractive to tourists in the early 2000’s, and the number of tango shows increased from six to dozens. Between 2007-2008 Argentina’s tango shows made about $80m in profits. Now however Argentinian official Hernan Lombardi said he was “very proud that the music and dance of the Tango have now been safeguarded for humanity”, and perhaps even is it not making a significant contribution to GDP at present, it could be considered as a contributor to other measures of the Argentinian standard of living.