The Power of Culture

Transkript

1 The Power of Culture The cultural dimension in development 2000 Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Contents 1

2 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Development and culture 2.1. Redefining development 2.2. Definition of culture 3. Why culture? 3.1. Identity 3.2. Instrumental role 3.3. Freedom of expression 3.4. Consciousness and awareness 3.5. Culture in education; the younger generation 3.6. Tradition and modern life for sustainable development 3.7. The role of culture in economic development 4. Various forms of cooperation 4.1. Partnership and participation 4.2. Capacity-building for autonomy 5. Bilateral, regional cooperation and exchange programmes 5.1. Bilateral programmes 5.2. Regional activities 5.3. Exchange 5.4. Embassy funds 6. Financial sources 7. Conclusion 8. The cultural dimension in Danish development cooperation 1. The cultural dimension in the planning and implementation of Danish development cooperation 2. Cultural projects in the development cooperation 2.1. Cultural projects under the bilateral country frames 2.2. Cultural projects supported by embassy funds or minor allocations from Danida 3. Cultural exchange and collaboration Annex A Større projekter, der er gennemført som en del af landerammen Annex B Mindre projekter støttet af ambassadernes bevillingskompetance samt mindre bevillinger fra Danida Annex C Kultursamarbejde støttet af Det lange Udvalg og Center for Kultursamarbejde med Udviklingslandene Annex D Sida s and Norad s support for culture Annex E Shuttle 99 Dansk sammendrag / (Summary in danish) Colophon 2

3 1. Introduction A rich and pluralistic culture is a cornerstone of a thriving democracy. Every society is enriched by, and dependent on creative forces for survival and development. For unconventional solutions to be found in situations of chaos and conflict, free creative thinking is needed. Musicians, actors and artists have struggled for freedom and criticized repression from within or without. They have given a voice to the voiceless and made their audiences aware of opportunities for change. Participation in creative processes affords scope for personal growth, as well as training in cooperation and decision-making. Nobody is born with democratic values: they must be acquired over and over again. Culture is one of the tools for this acquisition. This paper presents experience of cultural cooperation. It focuses on Africa, but the ideas expressed and lessons learnt apply to other parts of the world as well. Examples are given to illustrate various facets of culture and development and demonstrate gains that are not readily measurable or described in tables. The Paper has been composed by Anita Theorell, who was head of the Division for Culture & Media, Department for Democracy and Social Development in Sida. Before that she was curator of contemporary art at the Culture House, Stockholm, and she has been working with exhibition exchange for the Swedish Institute. The paper must be seen as an input to the general debate and preliminary considerations in connection with the preparation of a cultural strategy for Danish development cooperation, and it should not be taken as a complete analysis of all aspects and elements in the compiling of the strategy. The views and suggestions in this paper are not necessarily concordant with the eventual Danish policy on culture in development. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has added a chapter about The Cultural Dimension in Danish Development Cooperation and annexes A-B-C with lists of cultural projects and cultural collaboration in the years

4 2. Development and culture What do we mean by development and culture? Without defining these terms, simply because they are in common use or of long standing, we assume that two parties agree on their content. In fact, the two countries, organizations or individuals concerned may fail to realize that their premises are quite different. Such abstractions must therefore be redefined from time to time Redefining development If the trunk dies, so do the branches. 1 Concepts of development and civilization are being challenged. The prevailing notion of development has all too long been expressed in economic and technical terms alone. Many years experience of international development programmes with their successes and failures have taught us that it is a far more complex process. Development is the outcome of numerous factors, but human aspirations and yearnings are its mainspring. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar has analysed one reason for past shortcomings: the importance of the human factor that complex web of relationships and beliefs, values and motivations, which lie at the very heart of a culture (has) been underestimated in many development projects. 2 Rethinking development has made it important to include a cultural insight into broad development strategies. It is time for the human-cultural-social dimension to come into focus. In the mid-1980s scientists, donor organizations, politicians and community planners began to acknowledge a wider concept of human resources as an essential component of growth. With this new insight, the UN and UNESCO declared a Cultural Decade, and stated four principal aims: 1) to acknowledge the cultural dimension in development 2) to affirm and enrich cultural identities 3) to broaden participation in cultural life 4) to promote international cultural cooperation. International donor agencies began including culture in their development work in the late 1980s and early 90s. Within the relatively short period since then, a great deal of development in the cultural sector has taken place and affected other spheres of life as well. In 1995, the World Commission for Culture presented its report Our Cultural Diversity. In 1998, the UNESCO conference The Power of Culture was held in Stockholm, and this was followed up with the 1999 conference in Florence, Culture Counts. James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, has persistently led efforts to include culture 4

5 in the Bank s work. In Wolfensohn s words, we are at a crossroads in our understanding of development and how to go about it. We are realizing that building development solutions on local forms of social interchange, values, traditions and knowledge reinforces the social fabric. We are starting to understand that development effectiveness depends, in part, on solutions that resonate with a community s sense of who it is we hope that through our collaboration, emerging development practice will conserve and amplify the values, expression and heritage that give people s lives meaning and human dignity. 3 Notes 1) A common proverb in sub-saharan Africa. 3) Our Creative Diversity, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, ) Culture and Sustainable Development a Framework for Action. World Bank, Definition of culture Culture is not one of life s luxuries: it is life itself. Culture may be defined as the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, ceremonies, and other related components (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1989). At times, culture and civilization have been regarded as synonymous; at others, culture has been regarded as the end and civilization the means. In anthropological terms, culture encompasses a broad range of material objects, behaviour patterns and thoughts. In western society, culture is commonly regarded as something highbrow, a luxury rather than a necessity. Certain activities are deemed to constitute culture, while others are excluded. This paper argues that a democratic culture where there is access, respect, coherence and/or relevance in the public interest is not elitist, but a basis for human and social development. Senegal s former president, the poet Léopold Sédar Senghor, once stated in an interview: At intellectual conferences in the Third World culture is made an instrument for politics, although Marx was of the opinion that politics should be the instrument for culture. To Marx the purpose of politics is to make man free in order to be able to create works of beauty. Culture, not politics is the weave that keeps a society together. But industrialized countries in East and West do not accept the notion that cultures be equal although different. They do not take African culture and philosophy seriously as long as we have no economic power. 4 Is culture an aspect or a means of development, the latter understood as material progress; or is culture the end and aim of development, the latter understood as the flourishing of human existence in its several forms and as a whole? 5 These quotations reflect a longstanding and ongoing discussion of two viewpoints. These can, however, be combined without one overshadowing the other. They are interdependent and nurture one another. 5

6 On the one hand, the importance of culture is thought to lie in its function as a medium of messages for educational or other social purposes. Here, the sharpness of the instrument depends on the dedication, skills and depth of the conveyor. The other viewpoint emphasizes culture as a means of paving the way for creativity and showing experience that can be neither measured nor weighed. The artist s imagination, or the world it builds, is a laboratory of the not-yet-experienced. In the words of John Gardner, the American novelist, Art is as original and important as it is precisely because it does not start out with a clear knowledge of what it means to say. To stimulate our imagination and nourish our dreams, we seek art, literature, film, music and theatre for a varied range of aesthetic experience. This applies to people all over the world, of all social classes and ages, women and men alike. What we cannot dream about cannot be realized either. Culture helps us transgress limits, self-imposed or otherwise; to challenge ourselves; and to discover talents we were unaware of talents that are valuable in every kind of situation in life. Without imagination and creativity, we are prisoners of the structures and thoughts of others. Four aspects of the role of culture in development may be discerned. There is no competition between the four: rather, they empower one another. They are: using culture to illustrate or clarify a medical, political, educational, agricultural or family problem = culture for development strengthening the cultural sector = cultural development the importance of analysing the consequences of development cooperation on the culture of a country, community or group. mainstreaming culture in all development work. Notes 4) Dagens Nyheter, 31 July ) Marshall Sahlins: A Brief Cultural History of Culture. Paper presented to the World Commission on Culture and Development,

7 3. Why culture? Culture and development cannot be viewed as separate entities. Culture is the soil that provides a society s nourishment and the basis on which it defines its value system, traditions and behaviour. It contains the morals and ethics of the community, governs society s conception of its own future and selects the means of getting there. Culture is shaped by human beings and we, in turn, are formed by prevailing cultural codes. It is therefore essential to see culture not as an independent phenomenon but as part of a holistic approach to development. In 1999, the World Bank declared culture to be an essential part of sustainable development and poverty reduction. The Bank recommends that culture be integrated in its own operations, since a programme on culture and development can provide new economic opportunities for communities to grow out of poverty; catalyse local-level development by building on diverse social, cultural, economic and physical resources; generate revenues from existing cultural assets; strengthen social capital and social cohesion; and complement strategies for human development and build dynamic, knowledge-based societies. 6 Notes 6) Culture and Sustainable Development a Framework for Action. World Bank, Identity The core of culture is the human desire to communicate. The word Ubuntu used in different forms in various Bantu languages comprises the notions that I exist because you exist, I am because you are, and My identity is related to yours. With a poor concept of our own identity we have little capacity to relate to others. To see the other we must know and see ourselves. This has implications for conflict resolution and respect for human rights, as well as solutions to problems of everyday life. Self-esteem, identity and dignity are important cornerstones for a culture of tolerance and understanding. Social peace requires that differences between cultures be regarded not as something alien and unacceptable or hateful but as other ways of living. 7 This applies to nations, groups and individuals alike. Developing countries, despite their economic and social poverty, are endowed with a wealth of culture. Today, decades after the end of colonial repression of indigenous cultures (which may even have strengthened efforts to preserve them), threats to an independent and pluralistic culture are not easily defined. Globalization and the flow of information imply changes of ideals and models that challenge our concept of who we are and what norms we are to adhere to. Awareness of our origins and the experiences and beliefs that have moulded us is therefore more important than ever. Understanding one s past and present context is a crucial precondition for choosing what to take with us into the future, what we leave behind, and the point at which we seek to build something new and merge with other cultural expressions. To grasp others pride in their history and culture we must know and be proud of our own. Every community, however oppressed or disadvantaged it may be, nourishes the cultural manifestations of its own identity. In some cases, culture may be what imparts cohesion and 7

8 dignity to a society. Two examples from Tanzania and South Africa illustrate different aspects of this assertion. In newly independent Tanzania, as in many other emerging nations, President Julius Nyerere emphasized the importance of national unity. In the early 1990s, however (after Nyerere had stepped down), the legitimacy of the national structure was questioned because of its failure to acknowledge the country s pluralist cultural components. Ethnicity threatened to disturb the peaceful nation. In 1994 the Village Museum in Dar es Salaam started to celebrate Ethnic Days. Various ethnic groups (Tanzania has more than 120), one at a time, have since been invited to present different aspects of their culture architecture, pottery, food, dances and music, traditional medicine, storytelling and so on. To date, ten ethnic groups have arranged three-day celebrations of their culture. These have generated pride, curiosity, willingness to share, understanding and visibility. It has also brought people from urban and rural areas closer, through their proud joint efforts. Written on the big map that covers the floor at the District Six Museum in Cape Town, depicting every single house in the quarters demolished by the apartheid regime, are the words: Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly Langston Hughes Street names like Hanover Street, William Street, Longmarket Street, Balmoral Street are painted on the floor map. There are many family names written on the blocks: Here lived the Gervel family between 1906 and 1968, The house of the Matthews, etc. One night in 1968 bulldozers came and pulled down the houses. Over a few years, 66,000 of the residents were forcibly removed to the shacks of Mitchell s Plains, Guguletu and other townships. Now the former inhabitants have come to the museum to make their statements and revive their memories, their culture and dreams. They bring stories, newspaper clippings, songs, old sewing-machines, music and photos to commemorate the community where people of varying colour, background, culture and habits intermingled closely and there was rich cultural interchange between them. Returning and making their contribution restores their pride and sense of belonging, and gives them an opportunity to rewrite history. On the individual level, cultural experience may modify one s concept of personal identity. Progress Chipfumo is an orphan who grew up in a children s home in Zimbabwe. He took part in one of the Music Crossroads festivals. He now hopes to be able to support himself as a musician in the future, and states: I want to become one of the best musicians in Zimbabwe. The UN Declaration of Human Rights has established that safeguarding and protecting one s own culture, and having access to and participating in cultural activities, are all human rights. Women and men, girls and boys should have equal access and opportunities to take part. Notes 7) Our Creative Diversity, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar,

9 3.2. Instrumental role Culture has been a powerful weapon in many countries struggle for independence and freedom. Music, dance, songs and stories communicating messages, unmasking the powers that be and encouraging participants to join the fight for liberation have been performed and told by brave artists. The cha-cha, the dance style popular worldwide in the 1950s and 60s, was considered by the settlers in Zambia to be a threatening example of civil disobedience and violence. This Afro-Cuban style was imported to the Zambian Copperbelt. Since the repressed people here, as elsewhere, resorted to cultural forms of resistance, the term cha-cha was used to mobilize the Copperbelt workers and other grass-roots groups. Also in Zambia, a dance called fwemba ( Hold by the neck ) was created to mobilize youth and popularize political activities. Fwemba became the name for the songs, dances, pantomime, satire and parody used by young people in the villages to build up anti-colonial resistance. Admittedly, culture can also been used destructively: to generate an intolerant nationalism and demonize opponents. The method of dominating an ethnic group by eroding and undermining its identity has been, and is, practised during times of colonization or in armed struggle. Recent conflicts in Europe have shown that warfare has been aimed directly at cultural monuments of great significance to the antagonists. This leads to the assumption that cultural heritage is more important than ever to a people as an inherent part of its identity and dignity. It is well known that culture played a key role during the years of anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. It united people in resistance, gave vent to injustices, challenged the governing minority, spread joy and instilled courage to face life. In the new situation of post-apartheid South Africa, where the enemy is no longer easily defined, there is a need for reorientation. New questions must be formulated and new opportunities perceived. The new South African culture will draw on many roots. We are not saying one settler, one ballet. Nor are we arguing for one native, one drum. The ballet is for all, the drumming for everybody. 8 Dance, song, pantomime, music and theatre are forms of communication well rooted in the traditional oral culture of most societies in developing countries. Out of the culture of ritual and religious ceremony evolved satire and criticism first of conditions in the village, later of missionaries and colonial commissioners. Thus, the performing arts subsequently become instrumental in the struggle for independence. Today, culture is an effective instrument for reaching out with knowledge and ideas to the many communities where literacy is low, taboos prevent open discussions, or political repression prevails. The Market Theatre in Johannesburg, one of the few institutions offering young black people drama training (at the Market Theatre Laboratory ) during apartheid, started in the late 1980s. A generation of young black actors has been fostered. One initiative is the formation of a travelling theatre company that visits disadvantaged areas in townships, squatter camps, hospitals and schools. This outreach programme carries messages about the biggest threat to the country, HIV/aids: its roots in child abuse in the family and connection with teenage prostitution, contamination and ultimate isolation and ostracism by friends. How can victims of the disease be helped? How can life be made bearable after all? It is moving, convincing and encouraging to follow the 9

10 group from place to place, watch audiences reactions and involvement, and listen to questions and answers after the performance. It takes professionals to convey such a serious and complex message, even in community theatre. The Market Theatre also arranges Community Theatre Festivals to which groups come not only from all over South Africa but also from neighbouring countries. Performances, workshops and seminars spread skills in vast circles. One of the groups taking part in Community Theatre Festivals, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, is the young theatre group Savuka. Their performances include The Faces of Hunger, a story about street children, who also took part in the creation of the play. Other plays by the group are about HIV/aids, family planning, village life and traditional stories. There is ample evidence of the comfort afforded by culture in times of war, oppression or other crises. Watching plays, reading books, seeing films by others or participating in creative work has infused courage and hope. Traumatized children from the poorest squatter camps in South Africa have painted their fears, hopes, and aspirations. Street children in Ethiopia have made drama from their own personal history and sung about their rough lives of misery, abuse and lack of parental love. But they have also shown their inventiveness in the struggle to survive. While expressing themselves they became visible both to themselves and to others. The result was that it helped many of them to choose another way of life. Strong emotions and traumatic experiences, hard to express in words, may be formulated indirectly in art, dance and music. A young choreographer from Uganda once told the story how, some years after escaping to the USA from the atrocities of Idi Amin s Uganda, she started a dance group of Africans with similar horrifying experiences. Slowly, slowly they returned to a past they had tried to hide and forget. Finally, they created a performance to express what words could not say. For several years now they have toured the United States from their base in Washington DC. Notes 8) Albie Sachs: Black is beautiful, brown is beautiful, white is beautiful, keynote address at the seminar on Culture and Development in Stockholm, 1991; also a lecture at Rhodes University in August Freedom of expression George Orwell wrote: If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. 9 The worst consequence of totalitarian regimes is their demolition of human beings inner life. Censorship, imprisonment of writers and slaying of journalists show that what anti-democratic forces fear most is the power of culture. Censors fear deviant and unconventional behaviour 10

11 even when there is no political implication. This is why they mistrust all art and literature that seek to break new ground. Culture may start a dynamic movement, a revolt against what exists, in order to achieve what does not exist. The artist who seeks an individual and unique truth may be the only one to say that the emperor is naked. The regime can then do one of two things: fetch and imprison the culprit, or go home and dress. Several human rights organizations exist to protect writers, journalists and cultural workers. They include the International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, Index of Censorship, Article XIX, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters sans Frontières. New technology for communication permits networking among players in the media, and also professionals in all cultural fields. The latest news, the experience shared and the views expressed in debates are disseminated faster and further than ever. People in the South, when given the tools, are eagerly and rapidly adopting new methods for local and global contacts. They often go directly from pen and paper to IT. Participating in the development of communications infrastructure, building IT capacity in institutions and finding ways of giving as many people as possible access to equipment and knowledge are effective and important means of bringing about global equality. Adopting IT technology does not exclude developing other methods of reaching out. Community radio is an efficient instrument for open debate, stretching the limits for freedom of speech and attainment of broad participation in civil society. In Vietnam, where broadcasting used to be rigorously controlled by centralized censorship boards, the introduction of live local radio broadcasts has not only attracted listeners, but also prompted them to join in discussing matters never dealt with on the air before. Where freedom is restricted, art, literature and music may become sanctuaries. The power of the artist is to serve as the voice of the silent and to describe conditions that are otherwise difficult or dangerous to put into words. Since 1994, the theatre festival in Amman, Jordan, has been an important forum for open discussions between theatre people and intellectuals from all over the Middle East. In 1999 a group of fundamentalists tried to stop the festival and silence the dialogues between countries that they regarded as enemies. They excluded one of the organizers from the theatre union 10 on political grounds. But in March 2000 the organizers and the festival were back a victory for the defenders of freedom of expression. Notes 9) Notes on Nationalism (essay, 194?). 10) This exclusion prevented him, in effect, from working in theatre at all. 11

12 3.4. Consciousness and awareness As a society becomes more and more conscious of its own strengths and weaknesses, problems and options, it is increasingly able to determine its own philosophy, way of life, personality in short, its culture. Fostering a culture of democracy demands a civil society that is highly self-aware, and openminded and well-advised leaders. Cultural utterances are apt to be thought-provoking and to mirror injustice, inequity and problems of everyday life in the local community. They also illustrate universal and eternal issues, present innovative solutions and point out new opportunities. The promise of culture lies in its capacity to create images of a state of consciousness that has not yet been realized. Culture may envisage and put forward alternative forms of social existence. Seeing it in this way emphasizes the liberating force of culture. Its goal should be to create opportunities for all human beings to experience themselves as developing, growing and therefore human, in the most profound sense of the word. Theatre is maybe the most useful and powerful cultural medium for building awareness. In Africa, communication through drama has always been part of people s lives. Today, the number of theatre groups engaged in participatory processes is constantly growing. Their concept is theatre with the people, not for the people. Their primary aim is to convey to marginalized groups, in rural and urban areas, knowledge that does not otherwise reach them, either owing to their remote location or because the way information is presented is not relevant to them. This form of theatre has developed in response to the wide gaps in the distribution of services and wealth between rural areas and towns, and the lack of dialogue between the centre and the periphery. Many terms are used: community theatre, popular theatre, theatre-for-development, forum theatre and travelling theatre. 11 The common objectives are to raise communities out of indifference to various questions of vital importance to them and, in cooperation with the communities, find solutions or means of achieving change. A wide range of topics, such as violence against women, juvenile delinquency, drugs, HIV/aids, threats to the environment and equity, are dealt with. After the Beijing Conference on Women in 1995 a theatre company in Nairobi questioned how far the resolutions and final documents had reached, or would reach, women in rural areas and how they would read them. The company toured various parts of Kenya (areas one or more members of the group came from) and, in each village or small town, assembled the local people, listened to their problems and conflicts, and engaged members of the community to express them in improvizations. Together, they created a play based on their findings. The professional actors from Nairobi provided instructions, went away for some weeks, and then returned to see how work had progressed. More workshops were held before the villagers were ready to go out on tour to other neighbouring districts. Institutions like libraries and museums may also play an important role in creating awareness. Museums in Africa are undergoing a transformation from institutions inherited from the colonial 12

13 period, of little significance to local people, into centres of knowledge important to development. A museum director from Botswana has said: What museums for Africa? There should be no place in Africa for a museum which is a passive, dying or dead place of old things. Our museums should be both dynamic and progressive in order to be appreciated and supported by the communities that gave them birth. 12 A young team in Kisumu, Kenya made an instructive, brave and engaging film on environmental threats to Lake Victoria. They showed the industries responsible for the pollution and the corrupt local decision-makers, and they involved the local population in active efforts to raise awareness. The film has been shown in many small towns and villages, especially among schoolchildren. The museum in Kisumu has been made a centre of information about environmental problems. An environmental symposium on the water-hyacinth problem, directed at decision-makers, the press and women s organizations was held, and posters on the subject were produced. 13 Notes 11) Various forms and the development of popular theatre are well described in Zakes Mda s When People Play People, London, ) Tarisayi Weston Madondo, National Museum, Gaborone, Botswana. 13) The film is part of the institutional cooperation between the National Museum/Kisumu Museum, Kenya and Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden, two twins in SAMP, the Swedish African Museum Programme Culture in education; the younger generation Roughly one-fifth of the world s inhabitants are aged between 15 and 24. This generation has never been so large, in both absolute and relative terms. Special attention should be paid to children, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children must be given the opportunity to develop in various ways in terms of their imagination, capacity for creative thought and ability to express themselves verbally and physically, with creative use of words, sounds and pictures. The purpose is not for them to become artists, but for them to avoid being slaves. 14 Ideally, cultural activities should be on the curriculum or offered on an extracurricular basis at schools or pre-schools. This would maximize the number of children reached, while achieving a fair gender distribution and equal opportunities for girls and boys to participate in creative work. We must stimulate the creativity of children if we want creative leaders, as a Palestinian woman artist once stated. Access to a rich language, to develop one s skills in expressing feelings in words, is undoubtedly increasingly important. One way of getting there is, obviously, through literature. High literacy is certainly a goal for many governments. To promote the love of reading and help young people discover the pleasure of reading, imaginative children s books are more appropriate in the classroom than textbooks. The existence of libraries is not sufficient to stimulate reading. Teachers and librarians must be trained in conveying the messages and 13

14 contents of books, and there are a number of models for successful reading campaigns. In 1997 a pilot project was carried out in one class at a girls school in Palestine. Children s fiction was distributed and two hours extra reading instruction a week provided. The result was the schoolgirls greatly improved their skills in reading and self-expression, and also became more disciplined. Previously, this class had been considered particularly undisciplined and restless. Many experiments in informal education are under way, using theatre, music or the visual arts as tools in teaching mathematics, history, physics and other subjects. Cultural activities have changed conditions for young people. For example, When Ramzi Hussein was eight years old, living in the refugee camp al-amari, he was photographed just about to throw a stone at an Israeli soldier. The photo was later used for a poster during the Intifada. Protesting and throwing stones formed part of this young child s identity, and the same applied to many children in the West Bank and Gaza. Schools were closed for years, and young people s frustration and energy had no other outlets. More than ten years later, Ramzi is now on a new poster, this time with a violin and quite another identity. He has completed his training at the National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah. As one of the first beneficiaries of a bursary fund for disadvantaged children, he was so successful in his studies that he was later awarded another grant to study the violin in France. In around ten secondary schools in Tanzania, girls formed clubs in an attempt to change conditions. Together, they identified the problems and created drama, music and art to communicate their views. They have managed to stop sexual harassment from teachers and older boys, gained respect from their teachers, and achieved a better curriculum. Raising their voices and being listened to has increased their selfesteem and improved results in their school work. The clubs started as an extracurricular cultural programme, but the idea has now been adopted by the Ministry of Education and is to be introduced in more schools as an educational programme. 15 Music Crossroads, part of the international movement Jeunesse Musical, has arranged workshops and festivals in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Three years of running the programme has proved what richly talented young musicians can achieve when given an opportunity. As a report states, Music Crossroads creates a platform for young talented musicians below twenty-seven and attracts young people from different backgrounds, creating a musical impact that knows no barrier. It brings out music awareness and facilitates changes of ideas as young musicians interact amongst themselves as well as with professional musicians who participate as resource people during training workshops. 16 Several participants have since performed on television, been engaged in other shows, sent on tour or given a chance to record, produce or learn stage management. The winner in Mozambique was Timbila Muzimba, an ethnic Maputo group of 12 young musicians who were selected to perform at Expo 2000 in Hanover, and later in Norway. Notes 14) Gianni Rodari: Grammatica della fantasia ( Grammar of Imagination ). Turin, ) Gianni Rodari: Grammatica della fantasia ( Grammar of Imagination ). Turin, ) Music Crossroads, report of 30 May

15 3.6. Tradition and modern life for sustainable development When a man dies an entire library burns down. Culture is not constant. Rather, it is continuously changing. Herein lies the dynamics of life. The choice is not necessarily between traditional and modern ways of life. Both are vital and stimulate each other. Tradition is there to be challenged and to be a stepping stone for revitalization. To understand the present and prepare for the future, one must know about the past. Throughout the world, migration from villages to towns and from towns to cities is rapidly increasing. This swift transformation presents numerous challenges, some of which are connected to the clash between traditional and modern life. Urban life involves new sets of values, new models and new ideals. Globalization enables us to encounter the world, while remaining at home. This is another factor that may threaten people s identity. But it also spells opportunities for those who realize that their own culture is included in this globalization and that every culture can claim to be part of the global cultural heritage. To be capable of making choices, we must know who we are. Both movable and immovable features of the cultural heritage are under threat. Masters of oral literature and history, music, dance and traditional artisan techniques are dying. Traditional know-how in housing construction, is being superseded by imported methods that may not be relevant to the climate or living conditions of the country in question. The passing of time, changing cultural patterns and the shift from village to urban life are undermining knowledge and awareness. It is time to call for international help to safeguard these valuables. This is a common global responsibility. Urban structures, sights and monuments reflect centuries of human life, knowledge and experience. Poverty, uncontrolled and unplanned expansion, public unawareness, foreign interests and the ignorance of those in power are obvious threats to the cultural environment. There is lack of resources, legal and administrative frameworks, national inventories, conservation planning and management policies and programmes for building awareness and involvement of politicians and local communities. 17 How can we attain the advantages of modern life without destroying valuable cultural elements that have taken centuries to mature? And why is it important to marry the two? In recent years, some global and international organizations have striven to preserve the cultural environment while simultaneously safeguarding the natural environment, perhaps hoping that the immovable heritage will be given more attention. To some extent, this has happened. However, there is a tendency for staff at ministries of the environment to be trained in dealing with the natural environment alone, and to have difficulty in dealing with the cultural dimension. The two aspects of the environment certainly have much in common, and great mutual contributions to make. To combine the two, professionals with experience of the cultural heritage must be recruited. The cultural heritage serves as a way of maintaining cohesion, providing a means of social 15

16 continuity at a time of great global change and homogenization. It is not enough to ensure that a people progresses economically; or that they work towards conserving the natural environment, or that they achieve certain social goals In order to realize each of these goals, we must make sure that people have the necessary filters in order to understand the increasing complexity of change. People must be able to make sense of these changes within their own specific context. Culture provides this filter. 18 Museums in Africa are making a concerted effort to identify and revive old local know-how about managing, cultivating and protecting natural resources, and to reduce the impact of environmental disasters due to inadequate knowledge and use of imported methods. This mirrors the new role, serving and interacting with the community, assumed by many African museums. By being contextually relevant and preserving the collective memory, they further their own societies development. Notes 17) George Abungu in The City Local Tradition and Global Destiny. A Seminar on the Urban Cultural Heritage. Stockholm, The seminar report is available from Sida, SE Stockholm, Sweden. 18) ibid The role of culture in economic development The contribution of culture to poverty alleviation is manifold. It may be direct or indirect. One way in which it works is by stimulating awareness and creativity, thereby emancipating people and empowering them to change their living conditions. Another is by permitting participation in a cultural context by marginalized groups, enabling them to take part in processes of change that affect their community. Yet another is through income-generating production. Community centres, museums and libraries can contribute to economic development. They also foster artistic creativity. Spending money on museums may be considered a luxury by decision-makers whose priorities often lie in developing roads, schools, hospitals and clinics. Yet museums can be a tool for economic and social development: generating employment and income; fostering cooperation; promoting education; and encouraging dialogue and debate. Museums can increase the self-awareness, confidence and pride of communities. As museums become an integral part of local, regional and national life, they play a role in a country s well-being. 19 To enhance poor and marginalized people s capacity to create job and earning opportunities requires strengthening the social cohesion, identity and capacity of those groups. 20 They must therefore play a full part in community development. In Honduras a group of Native American Lenca women have been trained in producing pottery of traditional design for modern use, and have also attended courses in economic and marketing skills. They have thus boosted the prosperity of their 16

17 community, as well as gaining some power over their own lives. The cultural sector has the potential to provide employment and contribute to the national budget. Publishing, music production, film, video, certain crafts and tourism the cultural industry represent growing financial assets in many countries worldwide. Lack of capital to get started, or to shift to a larger scale in order to compete with foreign interests, is among the obstacles encountered by the indigenous cultural industry. Grants, soft loans, loan guarantees or other forms of financial support may enable them to thrive. The cultural industry may enhance the well-being of a country or a community in developing countries, as it has done in the industrialized world. Globalization is not only homogenizing culture. It has also awakened curiosity about the cultural expressions of others. It is essential to ensure that this trend works to the advantage of the domestic cultural industry in Asian, African and Latin American countries. Otherwise, there is a risk of it being taken over by multinational business. Access to infrastructure, new technology and capital would help the indigenous music, film and publishing industries to flourish. Traditional and modern indigenous culture, which might not be interesting to foreign producers but is essential to the domestic market, would be secured by strengthening local industry. Travel and tourism make up the world s largest industry. The travellers of today are more interested in unique places than in sunny beaches. Developing countries, including those deemed materially least advantaged, are rich in culture whether visible or still hidden. Archaeologists are making new discoveries, old towns and monuments are being restored, and transport, hotels, restaurants are expanding. Cultural tourism can afford endless opportunities for communities and countries economic growth, especially if the assets do not fall in the hands of foreign business. This is yet another argument for developing the cultural heritage as a sector. Enhancing indigenous professional skills in such areas as archaeology, conservation, management and information is urgent to secure local ownership and initiatives. It must be pointed out that cultural tourism also is a challenge to vulnerable cultural areas. New know-how about developing environmental and socially sustainable tourism also needs support. Museologists, antiquarians and environmentalists are forming networks to discuss how to balance benefits and drawbacks. They are also attending to the issue of how to engage communities, power-holders and economic interests in developing sustainable cultural tourism. This involves improving policies, regulations and management strategies; boosting local awareness; forging business links between investors and local producers; and so on. Notes 19) ICCROM: PREMA ) Culture and Sustainable Development. World Bank, Partnership and participation Countries in the South are referred to in the northern media s headlines only when a catastrophe, war or famine takes place. Our image of Africa, Asia and Latin America is one of poverty, conflict and disease. People in the developing world want to change that concept by sharing their wisdom, vitality and ingenuity. The Vietnamese wish not to be identified with the war but, rather, to leave it behind and prove what they can achieve in times of peace. A wealth of cultural expressions can change the negative picture, and culture offers a profound source of encounters on equal terms. For once we are not only receiving but we can give something to you, as a musician from Cape Verde on a European tour once put it. 17

18 The successful Danish Images of Africa festivals, which started in the 1990s, have reflected a diversity of African cultures. They have familiarized a large Scandinavian audience with a picture of the continent that contrasts to our media image. The festivals duration, their nationwide distribution and the abundance of different art forms represented have been key factors in their success in reaching so many people and confirming that these cultures make vital contributions to our common global culture. The festivals have also made it possible for guest artists to form connections with colleagues from Denmark and other African countries. In order to achieve a real partnership and this, of course, applies to all kinds of development cooperation the counterparts must walk the distance between seeing the other and seeing each other. The difference is that seeing the other means putting yourself in the centre watching something strange, while seeing each other means a mutual give-and-take, understanding why. Partnership involves showing mutual respect. It requires learning how to share, work together and listen. Imagination, innovation, vision and creativity are called for. Solving conflicts and generating confidence require willingness to frame bold questions instead of depending on conventional answers. It means an open mind, an open heart and a readiness to seek fresh definitions, reconcile old opposites and help draw new mental maps. 21 International, bilateral and regional institutional partnerships AFRICOM, SAMP, PREMA, APNET 22 in which professionals plan, devise and implement joint projects have proved fruitful to all parties. Pooling experience, knowledge and ideas in workshops, seminars or practical professional work is a process of give-and-take in continuous dialogue. Together, people seek solutions to global problems environmental, demographic and economic. Professional skills, respect and friendship are growing. Since 1989, the Swedish African Museum Programme (SAMP) has twinned around ten regional museums in Sweden with ten museums in Africa in a long-term commitment to exchange knowledge, experience and ideas for the benefit for all partners. The programme includes various categories of museum staff, and the partners design the projects in consultation. One interesting observation is (to generalize somewhat) that the attitudes of the Swedes involved have changed from a sense of charity to an insight that they can learn a great deal. The Africans new ways of making the museum a centre relevant to the local community, with local participation, is one example. The Africans attitudes have changed from asking for help to pride over what they contribute. The common insight is that many problems and situations are shared. In Siluett, a modern dance production, half the dancers come from Tanzania and half from Sweden. In a process lasting several years, many questions have been asked and many unexpected problems have confronted the participants. How should the differences, as well as the similarities, be dealt with? How should we avoid exoticism, without denying the differences? By touch we perceive the unknown. We approach the affectionate meeting with caress, which not only seeks to satisfy its own longing. If the meeting has not marked you, then nothing has been assimilated. It is through difference and contrasts that we discover ourselves. From the contrast between traditional African dance and European dance of modern form and classical technique, something new emerged. The performance asks questions, not only about dance but also about the meeting between cultures and individuals

19 Notes 21) Our Creative Diversity, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, ) AFRICOM: African Council of Museums; SAMP: Swedish African Museum Programme; PREMA: Preservation in Museums in Africa; APNET: African Publishers Network. 23) From the programme of Siluett, African tour, January Previously, in 1998 and 1999, it toured Sweden. Siluett was choreographed by Lena Josefsson and produced by the Skåne Dance Theatre, Malmö Capacity-building for autonomy Existing institutions in Africa national museums, archives, theatres, cinemas, libraries were largely inherited from colonial times. They were built to entertain and comfort the colonial administrators, settlers and business community with a western repertoire, and they were neither accessible nor relevant to the black majority. After independence, these institutions fell into decay owing to the new governments lack of interest, the absence of professionals to run them and, of course, inadequate funds. Now that a generation of trained archaeologists, museologists, librarians, etc are taking over, they are aiming to make these institutions meaningful for the people. And building institutions to serve and develop societies is important. But the professionals are still few and far between. Institution and capacity-building through technical assistance and pooling of experience and professional skills in international or regional partnerships pave the way for autonomy and fewer donor-driven projects. Let us take the example of museums in Africa where, some 15 years ago, there were hardly any professionals and no professional training was available. Very few institutions stood a chance of being well managed. The few existing professionals had studied in Europe and North America, in an environment where circumstances and problems were a far cry from those relevant to Africa. Over the past six or seven years, professional networks have emerged rapidly and efficiently. They have grown out of processes started by professionals in the South. Regionally in Central America or East Africa, for example as well as internationally or globally, professionals in publishing, the media, libraries, the cultural heritage and theatre can communicate by means of new technology, and meet in workshops or seminars. Institutions and NGOs have worked towards more advanced skills and gained greater professionalism through exchange of knowledge and experience. In some cases, this networking has earned them more respect from politicians and power-holders. One example is APNET, the African Publishers Network. The idea arose from a handful of African indigenous publishers and was heeded by a group of Scandinavian and other development agencies, who formed the Bellagio Publishing Network. This, in turn, attracted more groups interested in publishing. Today, some 50 African countries have APNET members. APNET has succeeded in convincing the World Bank of the importance of supporting indigenous publishing to secure production of books relevant to the African market, as opposed to imports from multinational companies. APNET is now a partner in drawing up the World Bank s publishing policy. Time is a key factor in successful development. When the Rome-based PREMA 24 programme 19

20 started in 1986, its purpose was to establish a network of African professionals capable of assuming responsibility for conservation of the movable cultural heritage and of training Africans who could, in turn, train others. After 14 years, PREMA is now headquarterered in Benin. In 1986 there was one African in the teaching team. By 1998 the team was 80% African. Teaching and management skills have been developed. The vision of the future is for the local museum to be attractive, dynamic, fruitful, living, communicative, creative, autonomous and educational. Like spring water, it will generate life and hope. 25 AFRICA is a long-term programme aimed at conservation of immovable parts of the cultural heritage. It will integrate conservation into a larger environmental, social, cultural and economic developmental framework. Notes 24) PREMA, Preservation in Museums in Africa, is a joint programme with ICCROM, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. 25) Stated by the participants of Project Design Workshop, Benin, The new programme is known as PREMA 2. 26) The Africa 2009 programme was initiated by ICCROM, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and CRATerre-EAG in Bilateral programmes Support for cultural programmes within the category of bilateral cooperation may benefit both governmental institutions and NGOs if the partners agree on such an approach. The advantage is that long-term programmes can then be devised. If planned in a true spirit of partnership, there is a good chance of their exerting an impact on countries cultural sectors. Including culture in bilateral cooperation means strengthening other aspects of this cooperation as well, regardless of field health, education, democracy, human rights, equity, conflict resolution and environmental conservation. Given the importance of the cultural dimension in development, it is essential to embarking on assessing the impact of development projects on national or local culture. Development organizations need to recruit staff with (socio)cultural and/or anthropological knowledge and skills. Arguably, administering cultural programmes may be fairly time-consuming for embassy staff, especially if they are not trained in the field. But it is highly rewarding in many ways. The work requires understanding of, respect for and a genuine interest in the habits and culture of the country. Most foreign missions claim that they cannot afford to have one person engaged in dealing with cultural matters full-time. Culture is therefore placed last on the list, as a minor responsibility of the staff member concerned, who also handles many areas considered more weighty. Thus, one solution is to have regional cultural-programme officers with insight in the cultural field. 20