8 ways to Sustain Cultural Heritage Amidst Globalization

What is  Globalization?

Globalization is the economic, technological, cultural as well as political interdependence of the world's population (UNDP, 1999).

What is its impact on culture?

Globalization promotes models of consumption, values, and standardized cultural products thus tending to make behaviors and attitudes more similar and wipe out differences across the globe (UNDP, 1999). This may result in a homogenized world's culture and the vanishing of other local cultures.

What can you do to sustain your cultural heritage amidst globalization?

The best way to preserve your culture is to keep it alive. The following are some ways to keep your cultural heritage thriving even with the changes brought by globalization.

8 Ways to Sustain Your Culture

1. Speak your native dialect. Language is considered the soul of the culture. Using your native dialect is the preservation of your cultural identity. The unique terms in your native dialect are a manifestation of your rich cultural heritage.
2. Converse with the elders in your community. While using your native dialect, spend time telling stories with the elders in your community, your grandparents may also do. You will learn many aspects of your culture while listening to their stories. You can also ask them specific questions about the traditions you practice but do not understand. Afterward, you can share what you have learned with your fellow youth.
3. Promote the art and literature of your cultural group. Learn about the art and literature of your cultural group. Short stories, narratives, folk songs, architecture, sculptures, and dances among others are part of your art and literature. Understand the underlying meaning of these arts and literary pieces and be proud to share them instead of patronizing the art of mainstream culture.
4. Patronize your native commodities. Some commodities are unique to your cultures like foods, seasonings, clothes, decorations, and pieces of jewelry. These commodities are the identity of your cultural group. Promote them by not hesitating to incorporate them into your daily life.
5. Learn the traditional skills of your cultural group. There are traditional skills of your cultural group that are worth to be preserved so you must learn them. They possess a significant role in the history of your ancestral civilization. Examples of these are pounding rice with pestle and mortar, traditional weaving, handicrafts making, riprapping, and many more.
6. Use your skills in promoting your culture. Another important way of preserving culture is by recording it. If you have the skill in writing, you can make literary pieces about your culture or use your dialect in writing. If you are good at drawing or painting, make your culture the subject of your art. You can also make documentary clips if you have the skill in cinematography. You can share your works by uploading them to your websites.
7. Attend festivals or gatherings of your cultural group. Some festivals or gatherings are held to celebrate your cultural heritage. You can attend, participate and learn more about the rich culture of your community. If there are no such activities in your community, you can propose to your community leaders to organize gatherings to commemorate your rich cultural heritage.
8. Preserve your culture while being open to accepting changes. There are other practices in your culture that may be unhealthy instead of bringing good. It is important to understand that not all changes are bad. Culture is the way of people in adapting to the world but the world is also constantly changing. Thus, other traditions might be better to be abandoned.

Read more about this topic on other websites:

Preserving our Heritage

How to Preserve Your Culture