Digitalization, Essential for Preserving Galicia’s Intangible Heritage

Santiago de Compostela, May 28, 2025 – “The Digitalization of Intangible Heritage”* was the central theme of the virtual conference held this morning as part of the annual series of events organized by PuntoGal and the Official College and Association of Telecommunication Engineers of Galicia (COETG/AETG), in celebration of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day and Galician Literature Day.

This year, the session featured the participation of the Museo do Pobo Galego (Museum of the Galician People), the institution behind APOI, the program for the digitalization, cataloging, study, and dissemination of intangible heritage, launched in April 2007. APOI is a public and accessible archive that provides oral and musical recordings along with the necessary data to contextualize them culturally. The program includes a wide range of materials brought together in a single database to ensure accessibility for all. Supported by PuntoGal since 2022, APOI is especially relevant this year as Galician Literature Day is dedicated to *cantareiras* (female traditional singers) and oral folk poetry.

Speakers at the event included Concha Losada, President of the Board of Trustees of the Museo do Pobo Galego; Isabel Vigo, Technician at the Oral Heritage Archive of Identity; Camilo Regueiro, Vice President of PuntoGal; and Javier Fernández, Technical Secretary of COETG.

Camilo Regueiro explained that the collaboration between PuntoGal and APOI stems from a shared belief in the importance of preserving this heritage for the future, especially considering that much of the material exists only in these archives. He also acknowledged the value of early fieldwork from the 1970s and 1980s, which vividly captured what society was like at the time. Regueiro expressed gratitude to the volunteers who went from village to village with tape recorders and cameras, documenting a heritage on the verge of disappearing.

Concha Losada emphasized that in a museum, heritage is not limited to objects: ways of singing, performing tasks, or speaking are also living heritage. Much of this material, collected in the 20th century, is now preserved using 21st-century technology, making it available to the public not as physical objects but as memory—something many people can only access through digital tools. She also highlighted the importance of metadata and contextual information, such as how and where the songs were learned or used, and details about the collection process and informants, which are key to properly integrating the pieces into the repository for later discovery.

Isabel Vigo, APOI technician, pointed out that public availability is just a small part of the work: the material can be consulted because it has been digitized, coded, and preserved in an archive that continues to grow both in content and use, as shown by the many consultation requests. She mentioned that materials collected in the past and only now resurfacing are revealing “true treasures” that had been kept in private homes for decades.

Javier Fernández from COETG expressed interest in the handling of archives and metadata requirements, as well as in the possibilities this material offers to contemporary musicians in their creative process, especially given the recent resurgence of traditional music. In these cases, the archive acts as a bridge to a part of history no longer directly accessible, now made reachable through technology. He concluded by highlighting the importance of information and communication technologies in the transmission and preservation of the intangible cultural heritage.

About PuntoGal

PuntoGal has managed the Galician domain since 2014. Established in 2006, it works in three main areas: domain management, representation of Galicia in international internet governance bodies, and corporate actions supporting initiatives related to technology, the internet, language, and culture. Currently, around 7,350 .gal domains are registered. More information: dominio.gal

About COETG/AETG

COETG/AETG is the institution that represents the profession of Telecommunication Engineering and telecommunication engineers. Its purpose is to uphold the moral, social, and technical prestige of engineers, promote camaraderie, contribute to Galicia’s development through the advancement of telecommunications, and support its members in their professional activities.

About the Museo do Pobo Galego

The Board of Trustees of the Museo do Pobo Galego aims to research, preserve, disseminate, and promote Galician culture in all its forms, with a specific goal of creating and maintaining a museum that serves these objectives. It is located in the former San Domingos de Bonaval convent (Santiago de Compostela). The museum’s activities are focused on three key areas: permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, and research through scientific and outreach publications, conferences, courses, and seminars.