Venice: Māori Culture Meets UNESCO-IOC & Associazione Giochi Antichi To Celebrate The Ocean As A Bridge Between Cultures

Venice, Verona, 28 August 2025 – An international event celebrating the encounter between the ancient Māori culture of Aotearoa-New Zealand and the Venice lagoon will take place on the island of San Servolo, Venice, with a focus on the ocean as a universal, spiritual and identity-forming cultural space: Māori Ocean Culture. The initiative stems from collaboration between Associazione Giochi Antichi (AGA) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC), and precedes the XXIII edition of the Tocatì – International Festival of Street Games in Verona, where the Māori delegation will be guests of honour.

The project forms part of the international cooperation pathway promoted by Tocatì, a Programme for the Safeguarding of Traditional Games and Sports, inscribed since 2022 in the UNESCO Register of Good Practices for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and of which AGA is the lead organizatio, with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the respective Ministries of Culture of France, Belgium, Cyprus and Croatia.

The 16 September Event

The day will open with a visit to the SEA BEYOND Ocean Literacy Centre, where Māori delegates, UNESCO representatives, AGA and participating institutions will be welcomed by a traditional Māori dance performance in the island's park. The general public are invited to participate in the Māori Ocean Culture workshops which will start at 2 p.m.

Note: the workshops will be held in English with Italian interpretation available

The SEA BEYOND Ocean Literacy Centre is the first and only centre in Italy dedicated to ocean education. Co-designed by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and UNESCO-IOC, the initiative is promoted by the Prada Group and UNESCO-IOC within the framework of the SEA BEYOND project, active since 2019 to raise awareness about ocean sustainability and preservation among younger generations.

Workshops

The heart of the initiative will consist of afternoon workshops, open to the public, that explore the profound connection between Māori culture and the ocean: "Tangaroa, god of the ocean", a journey into Māori cosmogony, discovering marine deities and the relationship between humanity and the sea; "Waka, the ancestral vessel", focusing on the traditional construction of Māori canoes, symbols of identity and instruments of migration and memory. Ocean music will further enrich the implementation of the two workshops with the presentation and participatory construction of ancestral instruments such as the Pūtātara, a ceremonial shell of profound cultural and environmental significance.

The island of San Servolo, a bridge between land and sea, will be transformed into a meeting place between cultures united by the centrality of the ocean in the vision of the relationship between humanity and nature. Through this initiative, UNESCO and AGA strengthen their commitment to promoting inclusive ocean education and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

“The encounter with Māori culture is a great example of how the ocean is humanity’s great unifier,” says Francesca Santoro, Senior Programme Officer for Ocean Literacy at UNESCOIOC. “Despite the distance separating Venice from Aotearoa–New Zealand, our deep relationship with the sea brings us together in remarkable ways. The Venetian maritime tradition and Māori ocean culture speak the same ancestral language of respect, knowledge, and interdependence with the marine environment. This cultural dialogue reminds us that the ocean knows no borders, and that only through international collaboration and the exchange of traditional knowledge can we safeguard this shared heritage for future generations.”

The Festival in Vernoa from 19-22 September

The reflections sparked by the event will continue a few days later at the International Festival of Street Games which, in its twentythird edition, will host from 19 to 22 September traditional games and sports, music, and dances of Māori culture in the streets of Verona. Reflex games, ropes, sticks, and traditional ceremonies will stand alongside Italian games, fostering a deep intercultural exchange. Alongside the games, the festival will feature performances, talks, and opportunities for indepth exploration.

UNESCO-IOC
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts, and marine resources. The IOC enables its 152 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science, tsunami warning, and ocean literacy. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress and the basis of peace and sustainable development. The UNESCO-IOC is the entity in charge of coordinating the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (The Ocean Decade).

Associazione Giochi Antichi
Founded in Verona in 2002, the Associazione Giochi Antichi (AGA), a member of AEJeST since 2007, is a unique organization in the landscape of Traditional Games and Sports, acting as a cultural mediator between game communities, institutions, and national, European, and international organizations. The Association’s primary mission is the safeguarding of the heritage of Traditional Games and Sports by recognizing and supporting the play communities that transmit this intangible cultural heritage. By practicing their play traditions, these communities of players help keep alive the diversity of Traditional Games and Sports, an expression of living heritage, of their territory, and of humanity as a whole.

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