Tehran, (CHN Foreign Desk) -- Today, two opposing, but closely linked, trends can be witnessed: on the one hand, there is an ongoing process towards a homogenization of culture, a tendency towards the development of a “global culture” facilitated by the rapid transfer of, and easy access to, cultural and other information. On the other hand, there is a growing diversification of cultural expressions, yet again spurred by the information and communication technologies, which enable many different individuals and groups to promote their specific cultural choices, preferences and positions.

Against the background of these trends, preservation of cultural heritage plays an important role in defining cultural identities of individuals and groups. While the world community has for a number of years cooperated in safeguarding cultural heritage through identification and preservation of cultural heritage sites, it is only recently that international agreement has been reached to cooperate to protect and promote intangible cultural heritage as well. Such "living" cultural heritage, as it is also called, includes practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the associated knowledge and the necessary skills that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.

More than ever, the globalization is formed by the media and the communication monopolies. These lead to uniformity of culture and loss of language. That is the threat as far as indigenous and tribal peoples are concerned. The impact of globalization as we know it is the speedy loss of indigenous cultures and languages worldwide.

Globalization is nothing but another form of colonization. In general, the relationship of indigenous peoples to their ancestral lands forms the basis for culture, social institutions, and the daily work practices in indigenous economies. It goes almost without saying that the notion of globalization is neither value-free nor clinic as we witness the shrinking of ancestral lands and territories worldwide.

 

When a culture dies along with a language, the connection between perception and action is forever changed. The important point is how to stand up to the threats of globalization on intangible cultural heritage. The challenge is to turn the threats into opportunities and how to find new ways and means to fight them.

 

First we better stop seeing ourselves as victims, in particular of past wrong doings. Instead of looking down on our intangible cultural heritage, we should be proud of it. Indigenous and tribal peoples do have the gift to connect what modern man has disconnected.

 

In addition, we need to understand that appreciation of whom and what we are does not mean withdrawal into oneself. What is needed in that respect is openness, vision, creativity and firmness in the process dealing with the issues of intangible cultural heritage.

 

The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a general framework and there are still many subjects relating to the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage that need to be discussed in depth and clarified.

 

In particular, the Convention does not directly speak about intellectual property rights or other forms of legal protection of groups or communities. It is important to stress the need of having a strong relation between the Convention and the question of intellectual property rights in the field of folklore/intangible cultural heritage, among other things. This is not only a matter of economic rights, but also of the dignity of indigenous and tribal peoples.

 

It is our obligation to create due possibilities for present and coming generations to express traditional cultural expressions, practices, knowledge and skills. Only by constantly performing the intangible cultural heritage it remains being alive in our minds as well as in our daily life.

 

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