Abstract:
This study aims to formulate strategies for developing a public policy to safeguard the Living Tableaux of Galeras, recently declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The research arose from the lack of institutional guidelines to direct the management, preservation, and sustainability of this cultural expression. Using a qualitative approach and a non-experimental design, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document review were employed to analyze the educational, institutional, and community dynamics surrounding the tradition. The study's findings are organized around three central themes: the role of educational institutions, citizen participation, and the structural requirements for a comprehensive public policy.
The analysis reveals that educational institutions have sustained the tradition through their own initiatives, such as cultural weeks, which serve as spaces for intergenerational transmission and identity appropriation. However, these actions are carried out without institutional support, teacher training in heritage, or the inclusion of Intangible Cultural Heritage in school curricula. Furthermore, citizen participation, while strong in affective and symbolic terms, lacks formal mechanisms for influence, is fragmented, and operates without cultural governance structures that connect the different social actors.
Based on these findings, this work proposes a set of strategies aimed at strengthening heritage education, promoting cultural governance, consolidating spaces for meaningful participation, and structuring a public management model that coordinates the efforts of the community, institutions, and the education sector. The proposed strategies are organized under the principles of social co-responsibility, institutional sustainability, intersectoral collaboration, and administrative continuity.
