Sustainability of Culture - Key Issues
There are three key issues that Natalie Stables highlighted as a result of the discussions at the Global Round Table Meeting 2011 entitled “The Sustainability of Culture”.
- The Acceptance of Minority Cultures
- The Importance of Education
- Targeted Funding and Development Programmes for Minority Cultures
1 The Acceptance of Minority Cultures:
Minority cultures exist in most countries throughout the World whether they are indigenous to the country or due to migration. History has taught us that migration is part of the human condition; people will travel to find a better life for themselves and their families, to avoid persecution and discrimination, or to escape natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and famine. Therefore the attitude of the majority culture towards the minority is crucial for social cohesion and harmony. The majority should not just tolerate or indeed try to integrate the minority culture but rather accept it and show a willingness to learn and truly understand it. So often we hear the majority say that “they (the minority) are culturally different” to explain away marginalisation and reinforce stereotypes without truly understanding the culture and indeed without thinking about the common factors that many minority cultures share with the majority. If governments and politicians promote the acceptance of minority cultures then they are promoting a society which is richer artistically, culturally, linguistically and socially.
2 The Importance of Education:
One of the major challenges is to get the leaders and politicians to really understand the importance of culture in this economically driven World. Without culture we as human beings are nothing but empty shells. Leaders and politicians need to take the time to think about all aspects of culture, how to preserve traditional cultures whilst embracing contemporary cultures (they are not mutually exclusive) and not forgetting the inclusion of minority cultures. Artists, poets, writers and musicians from all cultures need to have a stronger voice and opportunities need to be created for them to influence and “educate” the leaders and politicians.
3 Funding and Development Programmes:
Despite the serious current economic situation, culture, whether this is the majority or minority culture needs support and funding to thrive and prosper. The rate of the decline of minority languages throughout the World is frightening and pro-active, carefully targeted intervention programmes need to be set up to stop this decline. Where there are serious issues of marginalisation and discrimination (as is the case with the 12 million Roma population across Europe), targeted programmes need to be funded and supported to enable these groups to feel truly accepted by the majority and to raise awareness and educate the majority about the issues that these groups face on a day to day basis.