UNESCO adds Haiti’s freedom soup to cultural heritage list

Haitians took ownership of Joumou Soup in 1804 and turned it into a national symbol of freedom and independence. The United Nations cultural agency has added Joumou Soup – Haiti’s national symbol of freedom from slavery – to its intangible heritage list, saying the soup is “so much more than just a dish”. “Intangible cultural heritage has the capacity to unite communities around their unique know-how and traditions, and thus to strengthen social cohesion,” Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO director general, said in a statement. 🔴 BREAKING The Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee has just decided to inscribe Joumou soup on the Representative List of the #IntangibleHeritage of Humanity. Former Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph welcomed Joumou Soup’s addition to the UNESCO list, saying on Twitter that it filled him “with a lot of pride and emotion”.