ARTS AND CULTURE

PROMOTION OF THE ARTS

Importance of promoting the Arts
Visual art, drama and dance have long been a major source of social commentary, which should play a major role as a
means to educate people on how and what to change in their community. Moreover, the arts provide a way of expressing
thoughts, views and feelings on issues that are important to youth and to the world at large.

Education through the arts is an effective way to shape the values, attitudes, behaviours and skills necessary to function
effectively in an integrated world society. Nurturing an appreciation for the richness and importance of the world’s diverse
cultural, religious and social systems is undoubtedly essential to foster an ethic of service to the entire human race.
 USA: The American Federation of Arts (AFA), a premier national arts organization, initiates and organizes a national
and international program of art exhibitions, publications and educational activities to benefit the museum community
and enrich the audience’s understanding and experience of art and culture. This can cultivate tolerance, love,
brotherhood, compassion, humility and an active commitment to justice and essentially create freedom from
stereotypes based on religion, culture, gender, race, class or ethnicity.
 England: The Arts Council of England provided capital funding to develop a National Center for Carnival Arts in Luton in
2009. The center organises activities such as innovative educational programs that raise educational indices at key
stages right up to national degree level through an exclusive national carnival archive and crime diversionary work
tackling antisocial behavior and channeling disaffection through creative processes, workshops and international
development work. These tie in with the goal of The Arts Council of England to develop and improve the knowledge,
understanding and practice of the arts and increase the public’s accessibility to the arts.

The Arts unite communities through international cultural change and globalisation
 Presently, there are many issues that cannot be left unattended, as were addressed at the Asia-Europe Meeting Arts
Promotion Agency Network Conference organized by ASEF, the International Federation of Art Councils and Culture
Agencies (IFACCA) and the National Arts Council of Singapore.
 International changes in the world affect cultural exchange (cultural agencies and institutes facing new political
imperatives, economic difficulties and political shifts), such as:-
o The lack of information on international cultural exchange and artists; mobility, in particular the difficulty of
finding the right resources, and the complicated nature of funding application;
o The increased mobility of individual create people outside of official channels and the insufficient investment in
research and development on contemporary art in Asia, and
o The still persistent European view of an “exotic, far and somehow unified Asia”.

Enhancing the heritage and identity of a country

 The Ubuntu Initiative, Africa: The consultation discussed the state of cultural studies and policies in Africa, African
festivals and cultural markets, partnerships and collaboration in the development of African arts and culture,
promotion of cross-cultural understanding and regional co-operation, the relationship between the new South Africa
and the rest of Africa, as well as problems and opportunities for cultural funding. Participants endorsed the idea of
reviving Pan-African festivals and expositions of arts and culture and the establishment of a forum for continued
dialogue and networking.
 Australia: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board supports development and promotion of traditional arts
and practices, as well as the generation of new forms of artistic expression among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people in urban and regional areas, and in all art forms.

Economic reasons
 In 2011, the non-profit organisation Americans for the Arts released the findings of a study which documented the
economic impact of the nonprofit arts industry across the US during 2010. It was revealed that America's nonprofit arts
industry generated US$135.2 billion in economic activity annually, including US$22.3 billion in federal, state, and local
tax revenues. Nonprofit arts are thus viewed as an economically sound investment. They attract audiences, spur
business development, support jobs, and generate government revenue.

Improve quality of life

 National Endowment for the Arts, Washington DC: A growing body of research, specifically the “Creativity and Aging
Study: The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults” by Gene Cohen, clearly
demonstrates that active participation in the arts promotes mental and physical health among older adults living
independently in the community; improves the quality of life for those who are ill; and reduces risk factors in older
adults that drive the need for long-term care. Despite these findings the arts continue not to be considered as part of
the solution to the broader societal issues of health and long-term living.
Methods of promoting the Arts
Arts Councils
The arts councils are segregated along the lines of government control, dividing them into government-aided or private
councils. They serve to promote the arts by organizing arts-related activities, advocating for legislation which is favourable
to the arts.
 Government aided: The Australian Council, directly supports young, emerging and established artists, as well as new
and established organizations for arts-related government functions, such as the Commonwealth Literary Fund, which
has supported writers since 1908, and the Commonwealth Arts Advisory Board, which was set up in 1912 to develop a
national art collection and to advise on matters relating the visual arts. It provides over 1700 grants each year to artists
and arts organizations across the country in the fields of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts, community cultural
development, dance, literature, music, new media arts, theatre and visual arts/crafts.
 Private: The American Arts Alliance in the USA is a national network of more than 3000 members comprising the
professional, non-profit performing arts and presenting field. It focuses on developing the performing arts, dance and
theatre through advocating national policies that recognize, enhance and foster the contribution arts has made to
America. Examples of action taken include the approval of a US$4.4million increase for the National Endowment fund
for the Arts by the US Congress. It also pushed for tax legislation favourable to the non-profit arts organization as well
as education to increase awareness on the arts.

Funding
The promotion of the arts is very costly and requires sustained long-term inputs in order to see visible results. Therefore,
funding becomes crucial for the promotion of the arts. Funding could be made available in two forms: direct funding where
a lump sum is given to the artist or organization, who then has autonomy to decide how the money is used, and indirect
funding where the money is used to build up the support system which helps to promote the arts, e.g. building of a museum
to cultivate a community that appreciates the arts.
 South Africa: The Arts and Culture Trust in South Africa is a private sector initiative, which aims to provide much-
needed financial support for the development, promotion and celebration of South African arts and culture. Its
examples of funding and awards include giving out the annual ACT Awards which recognize the important contributions
of players like administrators, journalists, and educationists in order to help build a better arts and culture dispensation.
It also gathers the support of other private companies. For instance, National Network TV (NNTV) committed itself to
R1million of free air-time to publicize the Trust.
 Japan: The Agency of Cultural Affairs in Japan promotes the arts in other ways. For example, it provides domestic and
foreign training and opportunities for artists to present their work. It also organizes the National Arts Festival annually
in October to provide the public with the opportunity to observe superior artwork both from within Japan and abroad.
 England: Another example would be Arts Council England where a $12million Cultural Leadership Program develops
better leaders in the areas of arts and culture.

Singapore
Public Art Trust (PAT): Art in public spaces, in the form of sculptures, murals, new media installations or street art,
transforms the spaces and adds to the character and identity of the physical landscape.
At the 2014 Committee of Supply Debate, Acting Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the National Arts Council
(NAC) will be establishing a Public Art Trust (PAT) with $10 million seed funding from MCCY to bring art closer to
Singaporeans and has set aside an additional $20 million over 5 years (FY2014 - FY2018) to promote local artists,
unique heritage, and cultural assets abroad.The PAT will partner industry patrons and corporations to commission art
in public spaces, particularly with work done by Singapore artists. It also funds the cost of maintaining these artworks.
It also aims to catalyse private donations to public art. Donors will be eligible for Double Tax Deduction for cash
contributions that go towards these commissions. Donations from members of the public and private corporations will
also be eligible for dollar-for-dollar matching from the Cultural Matching Fund. PAT also aims to provide outreach and
education programmes on public art, as well as promote best practices for the commissioning of public art.

$20m fund to profile Singaporean artists and promote our cultural assets overseas: to provide ample opportunities for
our artists and arts groups to present at international platforms.
Through this fund, local arts and heritage professionals can take part in more international exchanges, such as festivals,
fairs, residency programmes, collaborative work and travelling exhibitions. With two-way exchanges, Singaporeans can
also look forward to more world-class arts and heritage programmes and exhibitions in Singapore. The fund can also be
used to build capabilities within the arts and heritage sector, such as curatorship and conservation.

Online discussions
 ACAM-L (Australian Contemporary Art Mailing List) is a mailing list dedicated to the discussion of contemporary
Australian Art.
 SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network) facilitates discussion and information exchange on matters
relevant to the dissemination of multimedia cultural resources, including museum and gallery documentation,
multimedia, teaching and learning technology, electronic copyright and multi-domain network resource discovery.

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Tourism
 India: The Ministry of Tourism greatly promotes traditional art forms (e.g. dance, music, painting) through agencies
focusing on the marketing and promotion of Indian tourism.
 New Zealand: The Ministry of Tourism has designated specific Arts marketing organizations to support and encourage
the development of the arts in their community. They also provide marketing advice and business support to local
artists.

New festivals for old traditions

 United Kingdom: BLAS Festival is a brand new music festival for the Scottish Highlands in which pride of place is given
to tradition, youth and Gaelic. It is an initiative to establish a new festival to celebrate Highland music and to promote
interest in and the use of Gaelic.

Keeping up with modern times

 STOMP (USA): STOMP is a movement of bodies, objects, sounds – even abstract ideas. But what makes it so appealing
is that the cast uses everyday objects, but in non-traditional ways. There’s no speech, no dialogue, not even a plot.
 MoMA, New York: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) seeks to create a dialogue between the established and the
experimental, the past and the present, in an environment that is responsive to the issues of modern and
contemporary art, while being accessible to a public that ranges from scholars to young children. The ultimate purpose
of the museum is to build a collection which is more than an assemblage of masterworks, which provides a uniquely
comprehensive survey of the unfolding modern movement in all visual media.
 Body Worlds: More than 200 people donated their cadavers to the project’s director, Gunther Von Hagens, so that he
could variously skin or dissect them before preserving the results by a process he calls “plastination”: replacing body
fluids with clear, flexible plastic. One of the more shocking displays is the corpse of a woman who was eight months
pregnant, her belly cut away to reveal a fully-formed fetus. Another features a posed family made up from their blood
vessels. A third shows a man playing basketball with his skin removed, revealing the extraordinary interplay of muscle
and sinew.

SINGAPORE: Arts Education

Ang Mo Kio Secondary School and CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent use the time set aside for music and visual art - the two
compulsory arts subjects at primary and lower secondary levels - to also expose their students to drama and dance. In
most schools, dance and drama would mainly be done outside of curriculum time as co-curricular activities (CCAs). Elias
Park Primary School has incorporated drama and art and craft into the teaching of core subjects such as English and
mathematics.

Exposure to the arts has grown by leaps and bounds in primary and secondary schools. Only six secondary schools were
honoured when the awards were launched in 2003. The arts education ‘boom’ in schools is reflected in the number of
recipients of the biennial National Arts Education Awards organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) and given to
schools for good arts programmes. 83 schools - were recognised.

Another indicator of growth is the take-up rate for the NAC’s heavily subsidised arts education programmes, meant to
widen students’ exposure to home-grown artists and arts groups.

In 1993, the council had 22 artists or arts groups providing 33 programmes to primary and secondary schools and pre-
tertiary institutions. By 2010, the numbers had swelled to 228 artists or arts groups providing 805 programmes.

In nearly all schools and pre-tertiary institutions and six out of 10 of all students participated in at least one such
programme, which can range from a drama workshop to an excursion to watch a ticketed dance performance. Such
programmes may be held during or outside curriculum time. The arts education boom can be attributed to the surge in
government funds which have made professionally run arts programmes accessible to all schools as well as gradual
recognition among principals and teachers of the place of the arts in 21st-century learning.

The government will spend up to $40 million on arts education over the next five years, to upgrade cultural facilities in
schools and enhance teaching methods. One is the NAC’s Artist-in-School scheme, which gives schools up to $10,000 to
work with practising Singapore artists. It has enabled Yew Tee to hire two musicians from the Malay cultural group Sri
Warisan to teach the Angklung to Primary 2 pupils.

Another scheme by the Ministry of Education (MOE) subsidises $27 a pupil for schools to employ certified visual art and
music instructors. Schools do not have many art- and music-trained teachers, so it is good that they can link up with
professionals outside.’

In addition, the ministry allows Edusave grants, given to schools to organise enrichment activities, to be used for arts
education programmes. The Singapore Totalisator Board also gives each school $15,000 a year to spend on arts

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 education.

Teachers say having students work together on arts projects and performances imparts values such as teamwork, self-
awareness and an appreciation of other cultures. The process challenges students to hone their time- and people-
management skills because they need to learn to compromise, develop initiative, train their observation skills and learn
to think creatively and reflectively as they script or choreograph, rehearse and edit. The arts is a perfect platform for
offering a holistic education.

Two other trends have fed the growing presence of the arts in schools.

One is a greater acceptance of arts education by pragmatic parents.

At the School of the Arts (Sota), the only independent school for 13- to 18-year-olds specialising in the visual and
performing arts,( dance, music, visual and literary arts, film, theatre) attendance is over-subscribed fivefold. It has 200
places for students every year but received more than 1,000 applicants in the last four years.

Also feeding the arts education boom are the many arts practitioners who have gone into schools to nurture future
audiences and as an alternative source of income.

The National Arts Council (NAC) –Special Education (SPED) Partnership Programme: supports efforts to promote the use
of the arts as a tool in Special Education schools. Artists and school teachers work closely together to co-develop and
co-teach customised arts-based lessons that target and help the learning needs of students with different disabilities
and address larger educational goals, for example, motor skills development and oral communication.

Arts Education for children/youth-at-risk :

The arts play an important role in offering young people at-risk an avenue for engagement, and an outlet for
expression, growth and reflection. National Arts Council supports collaborations between artists and counsellors/social
workers/teachers (from schools and Voluntary Welfare Organizations) to provide young people with access to the arts
as a tool for positive youth development. The transformative power of the arts can be activated to increase self-
esteem, renew interest in learning and develop positive life skills (e.g. respect, perseverance, teamwork, etc).
Programmes are co-developed by artists and counsellors/teachers/social workers and offered to small groups of
students (10 – 20 participants) during curriculum time or as an afterschool programme.

Examples of supported projects for youth-at-risk:

– Forum Theatre Programme to address bullying and self-esteem issues in a Sec 2 NT class

– Photography Programme to provide a voice for students to express themselves and create photo stories,
which enabled social workers and teachers to better understand them.

– Percussion Programme to encourage students to work together and learn respect for one another by listening
and taking turns.

– Hip Hop Dance Programme for students without a conducive home environment, so as involve them in
something constructive and meaningful, to reduce instances of loitering after school hours.

Reasons for success or failure in promoting the Arts

Success
Influence of famous figures in the arts industry:
Countries that have famous artists, poets or musicians tend to have the upper hand in promoting the arts, as they are able
to build on their work to ease the integration of the arts into their society. Several countries (like Australia, the US and the
UK) have effectively used this platform to promote their brand of the arts. Through the promotion of works of these
famous people, countries are able to attract foreigners to visit.

Government incentives:
Countries that can afford to invest in the arts industry are usually developed countries that have stable economies. This
means that they are able to provide incentives to artists and encourage people to concentrate on the arts. For example, The
Foreign Artistic Talent Scheme in Singapore aims to attract foreign artists with outstanding track records in dance, music,
theatre, literary arts and visual arts to immigrate to Singapore. Successful applicants will enjoy the same benefits like
National Arts Council grants and awards as Singaporean artists, and will be required to take up full employment in Singapore
for the grant of full PR status.

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International recognition:
Michelangelo is a world famous artist/sculptor/poet who is best known for his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Shakespeare has become a world-renowned poet, dramatist and actor, famous for writings like Romeo and Juliet and the
Sonnets. Through his introduction of this form of art, England has chosen to build its arts around the works of Shakespeare.

Accessibility:
Artbank is a fully self-funding art rental program of the Australian Government Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts, which was established in 1980 to reinvest its revenues back into Australian art and culture.
Artbank purchases works from artists and rents them out to clients, stimulating greater appreciation of Australian art and
culture and further encouraging Australian artists.

Tourism:
The Water Festival, Songkran, in Thailand attracts so many tourists that although it lasts officially a few days, all businesses
cease during the Songkran public holidays.

Appealing to the youth:

Art scenes are vibrant, trendy, edgy and new. These are attributes and the fact that the arts scene is experimental and
pushes boundaries of thought and perspective makes it appealing to youth. Banksy, a street-art graffiti artist has gained a
large following amongst the youth around the world, as he produces works that is creative and full of life, and often reflects
the sentiments of the youth. He also produces works that comments on the state of the world today, as many young people
see it.

Failure
Inadequate funding from the government: While 421 organisations in the nearly 700-strong portfolio of funded bodies in
England receive £200,000 or less during this financial year, a handful of large national organisations receive funding in the
millions of pounds from the Arts Council England. In the current financial year the Royal Opera House's £26m is just over 7%
of the annual Arts Council budget. Then comes the Southbank Centre at £20m. The National Theatre, English National Opera
and the Royal Shakespeare company receive between £17.5m and £16m each. English arts and museums are thus coping
with unevenly distributed – but often very deep – budget cuts from local authorities. Some councils have already carried
through (in the case of Somerset) or gone to the brink of (in the case of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) 100% cuts to their arts and
culture budgets.

Lack of community support/apathy: There seems to be an increasing apathy towards indigenous cultures. For example,
the three-day Boomerang Festival in Byron Bay, touted as Australia's most ambitious ever indigenous arts event - to be
headlined by internationally recognised indigenous artists such as Gurrumul Yunupingu and Archie Roach and including
dancers, comedians, debates, craft displays and several overseas performers- had very poor ticket sales. Just a month away
from the event, only 700 and 1000 tickets (which range from $45 to $115 a day) had been sold for each day. Just 74 tickets
have been purchased in Sydney, including only one in the 2000 postcode. Only 75 have been sold in Melbourne. It needs to
sell 3500 tickets a day to break even. Promoter Peter Noble has lashed out over the poor ticket sales saying disinterest
amounts to ''cultural apartheid''. By comparison, Bluesfest 2014, Australia's premier blues and roots festival, with six stages
and more than 200 performances of the best blues, roots, folk, soul and world artists ( an event which Peter Noble also
promotes) has sold more than more than 20,000 tickets in Sydney alone.

Art fraud and theft and the loss of authenticity: Art fraud and theft is one of the fastest-growing international crimes, after
drugs trafficking and dealing in arms. The problem is increasing in scale, with the most recent incident being the
disappearance of four prints by William Kentridge from a gallery in Joburg in Feb 2011 and the theft of a small bronze by
French sculptor Aime Jules Dalou from the Johannesburg Art Gallery in Jan 2011. Such thefts are often carefully planned. It
is not possible to sell the stolen works publicly, but it is possible to use stolen art as a "currency", for example for ransom
purposes, to sell on the black market, or to use it as collateral. The authenticity and providence of a piece of art should be
checked. A work may be wrongly catalogued or an outright forgery. Despite this risk, people take the work (and its price) at
face value without knowing whether they will acquire legal title or whether it is what it is supposed to be.

Loss of authenticity in indigenous art forms: In tourism, cultural expressions are often adapted to the tastes of tourists or
even performing shows as if they were "real life”. As long as tourists just want a glimpse of the local atmosphere, a quick
glance at local life, without any knowledge or even interest, staging will be inevitable.

PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

The importance of preserving cultural heritage
A source of knowledge and experience about past and present human culture
 Since many works of ancient art are pictorial representations of specific events, they provide key information into
how their societies looked like, the technologies available to them, what items and attitudes were valued by them.

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  The Greek and Roman friezes depicting victories over their enemies have been a rich source of information for
their military organisation, tactics and equipment.
 In Indian murals, paintings and miniatures, birds, trees, flowers, architecture are pictured with an eye to their
beauty of form. Human emotions and character are depicted with great understanding and skill in Indian art.

A sense of historical belonging in the physical environment

 Special locations provide a sense of place: they confer cultural pride, social unity and a sense of belonging for
people.
 The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List features 981
sites around the world, possessing cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as
having outstanding universal value.

Formation of an identity and fostering cohesion in a community

 Understanding of cultural heritage and history is part of a person’s identity and this shared identity based on
cultural history and practices can be used to unite societies.
 Singapore possesses a multi-ethnic and multi-racial society, but understanding of Singapore’s cultural history and
heritage from the 1940s to the present helps unite the country along the lines of being “Singaporean”.

A need to develop public awareness and education for the young

 Many countries have educational campaigns so that the young can know more about their heritage.
 CDRM (the Czech Council of Children and Youth) co-operates with the Chamber of historical monuments on the
competition “My country in the heart of Europe”. The main aim of the competition is to motivate children and
young people to be interested in their country’s cultural heritage and its protection.

Contributes to the preservation of cultural diversity, which can be considered essential for securing our ability for future
survival
 Indigenous groups run the risk of being marginalized in China and many other countries if they do not preserve
their roots.

To promote tourism
 One of the most important reasons people travel is to experience someone else’s landscape, heritage and way of
life. In Bhutan, tourism has been an important industry and the country’s largest foreign-exchange earner since its
inception in 1974. Most tourists visit cultural sites – particularly dzong and temples – and observe seasonal
festivals featuring masked dances and archery contests (archery is the national sport of Bhutan) or go on trekking
expeditions on foot or mounted on horses or yaks.

Measures countries adopt to preserve cultural heritage

Protection of minority and endangered cultures-
 A non-profit organization, Amicus, works with orphaned children, destitute families, disenfranchised women and
imperilled cultures in Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, and Thailand, to support cultural institutions. They built a Performing
Arts Centre and Cultural Heritage Centre in Bhutan.

Foster dialogue among different cultures and civilizations

 Through UNESCO, the Young People’s World Heritage Education Project gives young people in different countries a
chance to voice their concerns and to become involved in the protection of our common cultural and natural
heritage.

A national tourism policy that does not exploit the sites but restores and rehabilitates them-
 Controlled tourism reduced the impact of tourism on the environment of the important sites. After a previous
peace accord signed in Paris in 1991, Cambodia’s King Sihanouk made the preservation of these magnificent
Angkor Wat temples a priority. In 1987, the Bhutan government limited the number of tourists to around 2,000 a
year and restricted access seasonally and to certain historical, cultural and scenic sites.

Registers, inventories and descriptions of cultural artefacts are made to prevent theft of artefacts or to enable recovery
of lost artefacts-
 Interpol has developed standardized forms for documenting stolen objects to help police officers describe stolen
artworks. The Object Identification (Object ID) system, an international standard for recording basic data on
movable cultural property, was developed by the Getty Foundation. This enabled countries to record descriptions
of cultural property. In many countries, the excavation and the sale of cultural artefacts requires a special permit.
One can be jailed for the disappearance of any item of cultural heritage.

Protecting museums, excavation sites and other locations containing cultural property

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  The International Council of Museums, Paris, has an International Committee for Museum Security that offers
advice and recommendations on the protection of museums, excavation sites and other locations containing
cultural property.
 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the illicit import, Export or Transfer of
Ownership of Cultural Property, requires signatory states to return artefacts illicitly imported after 1970.

Encouraging active participation in local festivals

 In Japan, festivals feature music and dancing and parades with colorful, elaborately decorated floats. Families
often participate together in these festivals, thus ensuring that the traditional practices and beliefs are passed
down to the younger generations.
 In Germany, festivals of music and film are popular, as are special exhibitions of art marking historic anniversaries.
The oldest festival is the Passion Play at Oberammergau, in Bavaria; organized in 1634, this reenactment of the
suffering and death of Jesus Christ takes place every ten years, with the townspeople taking the biblical roles.

Old, historical sites can be used for new purposes

 One Powell, which was originally constructed as the headquarters for the Bank of Italy, now known as the Bank of
America, is designated as a Category I historic building by the city of San Francisco, the highest level of recognition
for historic structures given by the city. Now it is used to house Forever 21, a hip fashion store. The old can be
successfully incorporated for new, updated commercial interests.
 In Singapore, $12million has been set aside for National Heritage Board’s (NHB) National Monuments Fund over
the next five years, to continue supporting religious and non-profit National Monuments in their restoration
efforts.

Success in preserving cultural heritage

Bringing awareness by naming sites that are of founding significance or are in imminent danger of destruction, in the
World Heritage List
 Restorations that result from this include Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia; the Wieliczka Salt
Mine in Poland; Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the United Republic of Tanzania.

International conventions like the World Heritage Convention is also a very powerful tool to rally international attention
and actions, through international safeguarding campaigns
 UNESCO launched a campaign to save the city of Venice after the disastrous floods of 1965.

Conducting educational campaigns with a view to develop public awareness

 The organisation, Living Traditions, promotes cultural literacy by presenting Yiddish music, dance, history, folklore,
crafts and visual arts through its classes, publications, recordings and documentaries.

Strong and active participation in local cultures

 China’s traditional festivals have a long history and most of them have spread in some form throughout East Asia.
 Many traditional art forms of China’s ethnic groups – Tibetans, Mongolians and Uygurs in particular – have
remained intact to this day.
Preservation of cultural festivals
 Chinese Kunqu festival was inaugurated in October 2002 in Kunshan City of east China’s Jiangsu Province to
st
celebrate the 1 anniversary of the opera being listed as a masterpiece of oral and intangible cultural heritage by
UNESCO.
 In Germany, festivals of music and film are popular, as are special exhibitions of art marking historic anniversaries.
The oldest festival is the Passion Play at Oberammergau, in Bavaria; organized in 1634 this reenactment of the
suffering and death of Jesus Christ takes place every ten years, with the townspeople taking the biblical roles.

Failures in preserving cultural heritage

Climate changes and natural decay
Historically important buildings in Northamptonshire, UK, are ‘at risk’ through neglect or decay.

Natural disasters
 In the ancient Iranian city of Bam, the ancient Citadel and surrounding cultural landscape of the Iranian city of Bam,
suffered devastation in an earthquake.
 A 2011 report by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs claimed that more than 350 Japanese cultural properties
were damaged in the aftermath of the massive Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Looting and theft of artefacts

 In their efforts to acquire a few marketable pieces, looters destroy associated architecture, human burials, and
other artefacts as well as environmental remains.

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  In Peru, there is a multimillion-dollar illicit trade in archaeological artefacts left by the Incas and other Indian
civilizations before the Spanish conquest.

Urban development
 The 2,500 year old city of Suzhou, with its interlocking canals, has made way for modernization. Only four gardens
made it into the list of World Heritage
 Kathmandu Valley in Nepal has been severely affected by uncontrolled urban redevelopment.

Commercial interests and tourism

– In Angkor Wat, the tourists have largely ignored signs that prohibit the touching of ancient temple walls.

Failure of the government to recognize historic and cultural assets

When there are conflicting interests of heritage and economics the government will support the more powerful one.
 India’s Heritage Committees are not granted statutory status and have no accompanying powers, so cultural and
historical sites can be gazetted for demolition without the need for any approval.

War and destruction

 During the Chinese cultural revolution of 1966-76, the Red Guards destroyed in its path anything representing old
ideas, old cultures, old customs, old habits. Statues were beheaded, temples burned and antiques destroyed.
 Destruction of mosques and churches took place during the Lebanese civil war.

Uncertainty between what’s staged for the tourists and what’s real
 Ethnic tour agencies bring a tourist to the world of rustic living and a refreshingly unsophisticated tribal lifestyle,
but for the residents of these villages, these tours translate into much needed economic revenues, since they can
rarely compete with the factories and mass production of the towns and cities.
 There are those who accuse the visits to the hill tribes in Thailand as being such artificial constructs.

Adaptation/manipulation of cultural traditions/heritage to be more appealing to tourists

 Manipulation of the Great Wall of China to symbolize a monolithic and colossal wall representing Chinese might
and heritage, when it is actually a combination of about 150 different lengths of wall that were built during
different dynasties. Re-interpretation and reduction of complex and specific cultural details to general and
simplified themes reduces the depth of cultural and causes the original meaning and significance to be lost.

Reconstruction of buildings can also destroy authenticity

 Boldt Castle, on one of the Thousand Islands of the St Lawrence River, between northern New York State and
eastern province of Ontario, Canada, ranks among the largest and most prominent houses in the United States.
However, none of its work is authentic, and it was fabricated without reliable documentation. In the meantime,
visitors are given misinformation about the history of the place, provided instead with a romantic, fictionalised
account of its history.

Insufficient funding
Given the vast number of sites around the world, national and international funds are generally insufficient to meet the
needs of preservation and catering to visitors. Many sites are in fact disintegrating over time, even the most famous ones.
 The ‘lost city’ of Macchu Picchu in Peru, perhaps the most familiar Native American historical site, is literally
crumbling under the weight of tourists (400,000 in 2010 alone). Egyptian sites, visited for millennia, are losing
colour due to the breath of tourists as they pore over the wall paintings. With the chaos over the Arab Spring
uprisings and changes of leadership, the funds and efforts needed to protect them are lacking.
 Some sites totally lack any funding: many African countries have no money to represent their cultures on the
international stage.
Political manipulation and economic hardship
 Minority groups in China often feel marginalized in a system dependent on political patronage, and their interests
are often overlooked in the name of the greater good. To survive economically, many adults have to leave their
villages. In the process, they are being assimilated into the majority Han population, while the traditions that
mark them out are withering away.

Apathy of youth
 Many youths in overseas Chinese communities often do not know much of Chinese festivals nor their significance.
Economic hardship also perpetuates this problem.
 In China, the younger generations of minority ethnicities do not wear traditional costumes much anymore as it
does not make practical sense. For example, Miao clothes are not suitable for work and it takes too much effort
and wastes too much money. A regular set of Miao clothes costs 200 Yuan which can buy two or three sets of
mainstream-fashion clothes.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, SAJC 8

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, SAJC 9