97

This article examines the modes and stakes of Afro-Brazilian intangible heritage knowledge transmission. The safeguarding plans introduced since Unesco’s 2003 convention renewed interest in this knowledge, previously neglected because of its association with subaltern groups. The plans changed how this knowledge is viewed, its place in the society, and the role of cultural institutions toward it. However, recognising the displays of this knowledge as “works of art” remains a key condition to change the perceptions of this heritage.Safeguarding plans offer a practical selection of knowledge for transmission. Some programmes and traditional owners seek to preserve the knowledge intact to keep its “purity” or “authenticity”. In other cases, selection and transmission invite hybridisation. This article argues that the question of the artistic status and true recognition of this heritage, whatever its degree of hybridisation, remains unresolved.