CULTURAL IDENTITY AND PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL VALUES.
African Celebrities at the CAMIFF award 2024 source: Facebook
According to the study of multiculturalism, cultural preservation is done or happens in different cultures and cultural identities within a unified society as a state or nation. Hence preservation of Africa’s cultural heritage is capable of promoting collective consciousness in terms of unity among Africans.
Cultural heritage can be categorized into two namely: tangible and intangible cultural heritage. ‘Tangible Cultural Heritage’ refers to physical artifacts produced, maintained, and transmitted intergenerational in a society. It includes artistic creations, built heritage such as buildings and monuments, and other physical or tangible products of human creativity that are invested with cultural significance in a society. ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ indicates the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts, and cultural spaces associated therewith that communities, groups, and in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their Cultural Heritage. Examples of intangible heritage are oral traditions, performing arts, local knowledge, and traditional skills.
Tangible and intangible heritage require different approaches for preservation and safeguarding, which has been one of the main motivations driving the conception and ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This stipulates the interdependence between intangible cultural heritage, and tangible cultural and natural heritage, and acknowledges the role of intangible cultural heritage as a source of cultural diversity and a driver of sustainable development. Recognizing the value of people for the expression and transmission of intangible cultural heritage.
Preserving cultural identity helps maintain a sense of belonging, heritage, and tradition, which can contribute to community cohesion and individual self-identity. Preserving cultural identity is important for maintaining and enhancing facilities’ performance. However, there is a need to jump into the advantage of preserving our cultural identity and traditional values, whereas we have a challenge facing us in our culture called GLOBALIZATION.
Excerpt from The African Lane Magazine’s 4th Edition.
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