<Cultures don't exist in a vacuum. They cannot beguided in a certain direction or preserved as we wishthem to be. They are amorphous and constantlyevolving, a product of circumstance and prevailingenvironment. When we talk about preserving culture,what we are doing is refusing to grow as a community. We can no more preserve "culture", then we can mold.>[Selma]
I wiuld not agree that preserving and molding culture is impossible. Maybe challenging. But obviously something must be going on in some sort of long term selection process for them to emerge in a recognisable and distinctive form! The trick may be to identify those critical strands --- rituals, architecture, decor, dress, festivals, language, music etc etc -- and figure out which elements to preserve and how to do so, cost effectively. The identification of champions and providing support teams for the long haul rather than in stop and go fashion may also be crucial. Jus some thoughts and I hope something worthwhile emerges given the unlikelihood that the issue will disappear.
