Nepalese Culture Under Attack [ 2007-12-21 ]


Vijaya Chalise

It is unfortunate that most of our policymakers and politicians think culture is unproductive and, therefore, do not bother to preserve our precious cultural values. They seldom realise that culture is our identity and the backbone of the tourism industry. Nepal has, thus, yet to formulate a comprehensive cultural policy.



Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prithivi Subba Gurung, at a public programme recently, accepted this fact and said that the ministry would soon formulate a cultural policy to conserve the cultural heritage of the country. Since the country's cultural heritage is suffering due to neglect by both the government and the community, the government has decided to formulate a policy to guide the overall development, conservation and use of Nepal's rich culture and heritage.



Diversity

Obviously, Nepal is a land of unity in diversity. We can see this in the languages, religions or in the priceless heritage handed down through the centuries. However, this national culture and heritage are becoming extinct with the onslaught of westernisation. This can be seen in our costumes, rituals and folk literature. Our culture is fast disappearing, and its components are being overshadowed by western, mostly American, imitation.



Culture reflects the different aspects of human life. It is our behaviour and way of thinking, which the people living in a social group learn, create and share. Culture distinguishes one human group from another. It also distinguishes humans from other animals. Thus, the extinction of all traits of indigenous culture is the extinction of national and ethnic identity of the people, which a nation and an ethnic community have inherited over a course of time.



However, in this age of globalisation, the world's money, technology and market are controlled and managed by big global corporations run by the economic powers of the world, and a common consumer culture is unifying everyone at great pace.



Nepal being a backward country in terms of physical development is at a crossroads and doesn't seem to know how to preserve its culture and civilisation. We are very confused about the concept of modernisation. We are all being absorbed by the cult of consumerism.



A new generation is trying to escape to foreign lands in search of wealth and comfort instead of making contributions to their own country. People who might have been heroes and ideals in the past are nowhere to be seen these days. Their status has been overtaken by the glamour and charisma of media stars, showbiz personalities and all the other showy representatives of wealth and power. These are now the icons of a new culture, the models of humanity offered to a new generation by modern day's communication media.



Nepalese culture is under sustained attack from so many quarters - not only from western values but also from the dark side of our own caste and creed system. The younger generation today does not realise that it is best to take the best of our Nepali values and combine it with the positive values of western thought. They usually forget that it is only culture that can give them an identity while in foreign land. They do not realise that for this very reason, many people living abroad are becoming aware these days of their own culture and are trying to maintain and preserve the Nepali culture by celebrating religious and social functions.



There is hostility in the world to cultural domination in which a single value system created elsewhere diminishes and degrades local cultures. Underdeveloped countries like ours are witnessing culture domination not only from a neighboring culture but also from the western culture, including the US, which come through western media outlets.



Some people say we cannot talk of cultural relations without discussing cultural imperialism and presumption of cultural superiority. Many people, including journalists and social scientists, believe that the big media from the west have dangerously increased the control over our choices, including culture.



Due to the enormous production and distribution by various techniques and institutions, the constant flow of message and images has served as a stimulus. Thus, there is always the danger of cultural domination in the form of dependence on imported lifestyles and values. Similarly, our cultural identity is at risk by the adoption and assimilation of some national cultures.



Under these circumstances, no one can forget that the advent of globalisation heightens the importance of preserving, developing and learning from the uniqueness and diversity of various cultures besides enhancing the cultural symbiosis. Witnessing the westernisation of our society, preserving our own fascinating combination of cultural values and priceless heritage is a great challenge. Learning from international experience, it has become a must to work for the preservation of our arts and culture in a broad way. It is a great challenge to preserve our festivals, music, dances, languages, including fine arts, folk songs and folklore, legends, mythology and the values of our ancient culture to keep alive our connection with the past.



Blame

However, it is foolish to blame others. The question is how conscious are the people and the government in preserving and promoting our national art and culture? Nepal's diverse cultures, being the sources of creation and priceless legacy of historical and traditional assets, should be preserved and publicised. Unless and until efforts are made at the national level, one cannot expect any sort of development regarding preservation and development of Nepali culture. Therefore, the government and the organisations concerned should come up with a concrete and desired policy and effective plan to this effect.

(Chalise is Editor-in-Chief of the Gorakhapatra Daily)