North Africa rivals Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania have banded together to have couscous - the hearty semolina staple enjoyed by millions in North Africans - added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.In submitting the unified bid, rivals Algeria and Morocco put their differences aside in a rare show of unity between the feuding neighbours. "It's the first time that four North African countries have come together to file a joint application," Morocco's ambassador to Unesco Zohour Alaoui told her country's MAP news agency enthusiastically. Twitter Post "Couscous, the catalyst of North African unity," he tweeted. In 2016, Algeria sparked outrage in Morocco after announcing a solo bid to win protected status for couscous. Last year, traditional Egyptian hand puppetry featured in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, while Syrian shadow play and the knowledge and skills of Algerian water bailiffs were added to the body's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 01, 2019 12:56 UTC