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NewsWhore
07-31-2009, 03:40 PM
Two items of documentary heritage of exceptional value from the Dominican Republic have been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Memory of the World Register, it was announced yesterday. The Book for the Baptism of Slaves (1636-1670) and Documentary Heritage on the Resistance and Struggle for Human Rights in the Dominican Republic, 1930-1961 are now part of the prestigious list.
Created by UNESCO in 1992, the Memory of the World Register identifies and lists the most significant documentary heritage collections in the world, including such eminent works as the Gutenberg Bible and the original manuscript of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. With the 35 new additions, the total number of inscriptions since 1997 is 193.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, announced the inscription of these items on the recommendation of experts during a 3-day meeting of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of UNESCO's Memory of the World Program, which continues to 31 July in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The new inscriptions on the Memory of the World Register:
Book for the Baptism of Slaves (1636 - 1670) (Dominican Republic): The book is a source of valuable information on American slavery, particularly in the Dominican Republic and provides information about lesser-known aspects of the colonial slave system, namely the transition from a slave society to a society with slaves; from a slave plantation society to a patriarchal slavery. This later system, linked to the economic crisis that marked the Spanish colony in the 17th century, was accepted because it was not dependent on the world market system, but served to consolidate the social stratification of "Creole society".
Documentary Heritage on the Resistance and struggle for Human Rights in the Dominican Republic, 1930-1961 (Dominican Republic): From 1930 to 1961, the Dominican Republic endured one of the most oppressive regimes in Latin American history: the Rafael L. Trujillo dictatorship. Thousands of Dominicans and foreigners were imprisoned, tortured or killed. Some were mutilated, while others endured permanent physical or mental scars. The inscribed items document these atrocities and contain rich evidence of the Dominican resistance movement and its struggle for democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights.

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