Knowing where and how tango really began is almost like finding out the origin of the universe. Both Argentina and Uruguay claim that tango started in their respective countries. Apparently, this debate has been going on like forever. However, there is this news item from the Guardian (dated 25 Jan 2009) says that for the sake of achieving a world heritage status for tango from UNESCO, two parties are needed. Below are some excerpts and link to the said article.
Latin rivals learn it takes two to tango | by Rory Carroll and Oliver Balch
For a century, Argentina and Uruguay have duelled over who invented tango, the sultry music and dance synonymous with Latin passion.Argentinians insist it was born in Buenos Aires and blossomed as the country came of age in the first half of the 20th century. Uruguay says tango originated on the other side of the River Plate in Montevideo, and that its best song and singer were Uruguayan.
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At last, however, a truce has been declared. The respective culture ministries of Montevideo and Buenos Aires set aside their rivalry jointly to petition Unesco, the UN’s cultural agency, to grant tango world heritage status. It takes two, apparently, to get on to the coveted list of “cultural heritage of humanity”.
“The candidacy is being examined and the final decision will be made by the intergovernmental committee in September in Dubai,” a Unesco spokeswoman said last week.
(Image credits: Tango by Filippo Ciappi, licenced under Creative Commons on Flickr)
