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Reggae has been added to a list of international cultural treasures that the United Nations has deemed worthy of protection and promotion.
The music, from Jamaica in the 1960s through artists like Toots and the Maytals, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, was added to the collection because of its "intangible cultural heritage".
Reggae is "cerebral, sociopolitical, sensual and spiritual," said Unesco.
He has "penetrated all over the world," added a Jamaican spokesman.
Reggae emerged from the Caribbean in the late 1960s, emerging from the ska and rocksteady genres, with pioneers like Lee Scratch Perry, Prince Buster and the Wailers, founded by Marley, Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
Millie Small's takeover of My Boy Lollipop in 1964 also helped introduce reggae's casual groove to the world.
Reggae has become popular in the United States, but particularly flourishing in the United Kingdom, which has been home to many Jamaican immigrants since the end of the Second World War.
The British reggae label Trojan, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has introduced artists such as Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff and Bob and Marcia to the world.
"I'm delighted, it's great news," said World Radio radio host Dave Rodigan, an experienced BBC 1Xtra presenter. "I love this music since I heard it for the first time in adolescence."
Jamaica had asked reggae registration on the list this year at a meeting of the United Nations agency on Mauritius.
The protected list started in 2008 and is based on the 2003 United Nations Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Its objectives are to ensure respect for the communities, groups and individuals involved in the listed activity, to raise awareness and to encourage the appreciation of these activities at national and international levels.
"Reggae is only Jamaican," said Olivia Grange, Jamaican Minister of Culture, "It's a music we've created that has penetrated all over the world."
Announcing this decision, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared that "the contribution of music to the international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and 'humanity emphasizes the dynamics of this element both spiritually and spiritually'.
"The basic social functions of music – as a vehicle for social commentary, cathartic practice and the means of praising God – have not changed and music continues to be a voice for all".
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