Associazione Giochi Antichi
The Associazione Giochi Antichi APS (AGA) has been dedicated since 2002 to the safeguarding of Traditional Games and Sports (TGS) as part of humanity's living heritage, in accordance with the UNESCO 2003 Convention. This is achieved through a network-building process, developed at the national and international level since 2003 in the framework of “Tocatì, international festival of games in the streets” an original event allowing to develop a wide, dynamic, relationship between “traditional ludic communities”, transmitting the diversity of ludic cultures and practices all around Italy and the world.
“Tocatì”, is an exclamation used by players of traditional games and sports of Veneto Region - meaning, in local language, “it’s your turn!”.
Since 2007, the international activity of AGA has been reinforced in the framework of the European Association for Traditional Games and Sports (ETSGA - AEJeST), an UNESCO ICH accredited NGO promoting an inclusive understanding of the diverse and creative expressions of ludic cultures. AGA commitment to safeguarding TGS is demonstrated by revitalising traditional games that are at risk of extinction, empowering practitioners, improving a process of awareness raising, developing formal, informal, and non-formal educational initiatives, organising community-based research, documentation, capacity-building activities, while advocating for the social use of public spaces, and hosting national and international events.
The “Tocatì shared programme for the safeguarding of Traditional Games and Sports” is promoted by an international network of communities, ICH accredited NGOs actives in the ICH NGO Forum context and institutions, coordinated by AGA in Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, France, with the involvement of the international NGOs actives in TGS network – building, at the European (AEJeST) and the International level (ITSGA). The Tocatì programme was inscribed in December 2022 in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices of the UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It prioritises the communities of practitioners safeguarding traditional games and sports in their cultural contexts, thereby contributing to the preservation of ICH associated cultural expressions, such as craftsmanship, knowledge of nature and of the universe, oral traditions, food heritages, music, rituals and festive practices.