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SEED Guide

5.9. Raia Heritage Initiative: Safeguarding the spirit

The Raia Heritage Initiative (RHI) defends the prestige and valorization of the secular traditions linked to the manifestation of popular culture, notably the capeia arraiana (pronounced /kæp.eɪ.ə ə.raɪ.a.nə/), in Portugal and worldwide. This bullfighting form, a tradition of the central eastern borderland in Sabugal, near Spain, has been officially recognized since 2011 in the Portuguese list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. As a cultural manifestation exclusive to this territory called the raia (pronounced /raɪ.ə/), this intangible cultural heritage constitutes an added value for the region, with significant tourist potential and economic development. By promoting this attraction, the RHI aims to strengthen the bonds of cooperation amongst the regions and even cross-border. In co-creation with the RHI, the Guarda Polytechnic Institute (IPG) coordinated the design thinking team of stakeholders - teachers, students, and representatives of the RHI - to respond to the main questions for this challenge:

How to promote the intangible cultural heritage of the capeia arraiana without losing its identity?

How to preserve the culture and the tradition of the capeia arraiana and promote the territory?

What technologies to use in the identification, safeguarding, and sharing of the intangible culture of the capeia arraiana?

Empathizing: To understand the stakeholders, the team members engaged with community members, cultural experts, historians, and local authorities to gather insights into the significance of the capeia arraiana and its challenges. The team explored the unique elements of this tradition to define its identity and importance to the local community. Having identified the associated cultural value, the team was ready to re-frame the challenges.

Re-defining to understand: After working with activities to understand the challenge from other perspectives, the problem statement of the core challenge was reformulated as:

How might we help the RHI to balance promotion of the capeia arraiana while preserving its authenticity and identity for the community?

In terms of cultural identity, the team determined that key aspects of the capeia arraiana to be safeguarded were, specifically, traditional music, attire, rituals, and community engagement.

Ideating: Brainstorming creative ways to promote the capeia arraiana, the team came up with promotional strategies that respect this heritage, such as cultural festivals, workshops, and educational programs. Ideas were also generated for community engagement, where the local community would be involved in preserving and celebrating the capeia arraiana through participatory events and storytelling. The team also came up with technological solutions, including digital archives, virtual reality (VR) tours, and mobile apps.

Prototyping: A number of prototypes were created. For example, for the technological solutions, digital tools and platforms were prototyped to identify, safeguard, and share the capeia arraiana. The team also prototyped an online repository, featuring videos, audio recordings, and written materials about the capeia arraiana, and developed immersive VR experiences for users to explore the rituals and traditional places where the capeia arraiana takes place. The apps designed provided information about upcoming events, historical context, and interactive features for users to engage with the activity.

Evaluating and Implementing: Community feedback on the prototypes that were implemented within the local community was gathered to evaluate aspects such as usability, effectiveness, and cultural sensitivity. The impact was ascertained to assess how the technology prototypes can best contribute to promoting and preserving the capeia arraiana while maintaining its identity. With the practice of iteration in mind, refining and improving the technological solutions will be based on ongoing feedback on the results to ensure the solutions align with the community’s needs and values.

Further reading:

Discussion questions related to the Raia Heritage Initiative

  1. How is the capeia arraiana in this border region of Portugal different from bullfighting in Spain? What happens to the bulls after the event?
  2. How will the local Raia community dialog with defenders of animal rights? What could be changed in the capeia arraiana so that this cultural activity could be aligned with these concerns?
  3. How can we maintain tradition while avoiding the suffering and stress of the animals?
  4. How can cultural anthropology contribute to understanding activity that is different from your own? Can you find any “rites of passage” in your own cultures?
  5. What expressions of cultural heritage can you identify in your own region? When do they take place?
  6. On the UNESCO lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage, can you discover other practices that you believe should be safeguarded (or not)?
  7. Does the importance of cultural heritage warrant safeguarding every tradition? Where do you draw the line?
  8. Do you attribute equal importance to the tangible and the intangible? For example, as we write, Tulsi Ranyar has published an article with the BBC on the restoration of 14th-century Buddhist monasteries by the local community in the Mustang district of Nepal, where the role of women in society is being re-defined based on this activity.
  9. What is the place of the triple bottom line – people, planet, profit – in the production of this (and other) cultural event(s)? As you identify the issues related to the capeia arraina, have you considered the advantages and disadvantages for the local community?
  10. If the capeia arraiana were banned, how would the local community feel/behave? What would they say/do? Create a persona to empathize with this situation.