Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Right to Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage
 is related to the Right to History,
 applying to a specific group of people
and their desire for a demonstration or expression
of their group's continued memory and legacy.
This applies especially to those ethnic groups
that are decreasing in number
as their members leave and assimilate into larger group ethnicities.
It is the desire for preservation
of all those things that relate to that group:
beliefs, history, customs,
rituals, language, food,
arts, taboos, and so on.

Yi people performance,
 International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival,
Chengdu, Sichuan, China,  May 23, 2007.
Yi people live in mountainous, rural China,
northeastern Vietnam, and Thailand.

Cultural heritage is extremely related
to an individual's identity
because
the group who we are
defines the
personal who I am.
Thus, the Right to Cultural Heritage
is actually
a form of self-preservation.
This right is driven by the need
to be respected,
protected by the Right to Respect.

This right is also supported by the
and


32 comments:

MSM15 said...

I completely agree that cultural heritage is linked to the history. The main point of this is what our ancestors have created for us as traditions, food, art, etc, that play a simbolic role in our lives. I believe that everybody must use this right to respect and mantain the heritage of the culture that they belong and inherit from the past.
-MSM15

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to cultural heritage. We can not figure out who we are if we do not know who we were. Heritage is extremely important in an individual's life. It gives the sense that we were once a part of something numerous, great, and maybe even historical.
L.A.R.

Anonymous said...

I definitely agree that the ethnic group you belong to defines who you will become. The right to respect and the right to have cultural heritage are linked because people should respect other people's cultures to avoid having chaos. I really admire people who go out of their way to preserve their food, rituals. taboos, and etc. It shows a great level of willingness and appreciation to practice the traditions that their ancestors followed.

Shani A.

Anonymous said...

I think cultural heritage is to be passed on and embraced, but also with certain limits because if taken to seriously people find themselves living in the past with no room for progression. I believe cultural holydays and the foods, even the fashion its acceptable to embrace, but there are many other things that we are able to do today(interracial marriage,women working outside the house, technology itself) that we wouldn't do/have if we wouldn't had broken the rules implemented by our cultural heritage.

Carlos G.

Anonymous said...

Everyone should be able to connect with their roots in one way or another. If that means celebrating a holiday, dressing a certain way, or cooking specific foods, I think everyone should be able to have the freedom to do that. SJB

Anonymous said...

We are in a world where multiculturalism is necessary to be recognized as part of our surroundings all the time. As real as it is, we all share the same planet even thought our different points of views; accept them those differences would be the trend .A.L.

Anonymous said...

The "Right to Declare Culture", is the "Right to Expression", because it allows us to express where we all came from. It defines a great part of who we are and where we came from. However, I don't conceive the idea of it being our complete identity, as we are all unique individuals- in our own right.

Nevertheless, it's morally essential to preserve our cultural heritage in order to avoid any future collapsing and depletion, so that we don't deprive our future generations of their rightful history. The preservation of our nation's culture resides in all of us, and only we can make that defining difference. ~ F.G.

Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future. ~ Albert Camus

Anonymous said...

I have the right to cultural Heritage, however it is difficult in America for some races to really exercise this right because of certain transgressions that have taken place in this country. Some Americans can not trace their heritage further than 4th or 5th generation, and so they have created the grounds for a new heritage for others alike to adopt.
PoPcOrN

Anonymous said...

Many people do not appreciate their cultural heritage as much as they should. Those who do are sometimes looked at differently. Those that express the right to cultural heritage are the people we should be respecting because no matter how far away from home they are, they still remember where it is they come from.
Remembering where you come from is what helps you get places in life. We should always preserve our ethnicities.
ACA

Anonymous said...

Cultural heritage has a far more important place than the one we have assignment it. Scientists today study the heritage or history of the ancient culturals or civilizations called the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Egyptians. Many scientists study their heritage today because all three cultures had found the same technology even though they live in different parts of the world. They were so highly intelligent that they developed the solar system of measuring time and there is evidence that they had computers and batteries. With all our advanced technology today, no one has found a way to duplicate one of their pyramids. Scientists today spent numerous hours trying to decode their writing system and learn about their customs. By: L.J.B.R.

Anonymous said...

Cultural Heritage is the cultural legacy inherited from previous generations which we often want to identify and preserve because it reinforces our cultural identity or sense of who we are as people.
-Ana DM

Anonymous said...

Expressing your cultural heritage is a great way to remember dissect family members and instill your personal identity.
J.M.

Anonymous said...

Cultural heritage makes your identity, however, over time this heritage is lost once you leave your environment. Some immigrants come here and while the older generation keeps its own ideas alive, the younger generation just wants to fit in with society and they adapt to the social norms of such society. The children of younger generation thus only have bits and peices, slowly generations later, very little, if anything is left.

Monica C.

Anonymous said...

The younger generation does have a problem with accepting their heritage. Cultural heritage is a part of you. You may choose to embrace or reject it. No matter what decision you make, it is still a part of you.
J.F.

Anonymous said...

I support the idea of the right of cultural heritage. I believe every person should carry on the traditions there ancestors have left behind. I have noticed that a lot of Hispanics have not really carried out their cultural heritage. For example, there are people that do not speak Spanish when both their parents do. I blame the parents because you want them to carry on what your ancestors did before you, not lose it.

P.Picone

Anonymous said...

I encourage people to embrace their cultural heritage. I also think that it is important to make sure that a person does not allow the knowledge of their heritage or lack of knowledge of their heritage define them as an individual.

Sheeda M.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the Right to Cultural Heritage. We need to preserve our cultural heritage as much as we can for the benefit of future generations. Unfortunately, for the Right to Cultural Heritage, we live in a multicultural society and it is very hard to preserve it because we tend to adapt and forget what we used to do. But I believe we should get to know other cultures, enjoy, share, but do not forget about our own.
MVHT

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to cultural heritage as a means to self-preservation. It is important to pass down one's cultural history from generation to generation otherwise it'll simply be forgotten along with all their customs, beliefs, and most importantly individualism as whole people.-D.E.C.

Anonymous said...

I agree to the right to culture heritage. As an immigrant I can identify because after leaving my country I find that its my responsibility to preserve our culture heritage for futures generations. (LCL)

D.Zabala said...

I agree with the right to cultural heritage. I feel that it’s important to pass down to my children the culture that my parents passed down to me. Though as the cultures get passed down they slightly change here in the U.S. because of the multicultural society we live in. People stick to the core of their own culture but also mix in some things from others.

Anonymous said...

I think that the right to cultural heritage can be expressed metaphorically as a quilt or a mosaic. Each piece adds to the whole without being swallowed up. The parts of the quilt come together to make one blanket with one purpose but each piece of fabric is unique and valued for the way it is different from the others.
-A.B.

N.Cruz said...

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. I believe that it is the current generations responsibility to preserve and keep the cultural heritage for the learning of future generations to come. Having different cultures makes each group unique and different; no matter how different we are as individuals, you will always have something in common with that particular group of people. I admire and appreciate the fact that I have been able to carry on with my family traditions, such as Christmas Eve and the roasted pig “lechon asado”. I am even fascinated with my grandmothers cooking which she learned from her mother, taught me and I will be able to pass on to my children. Learning and knowing these traditions makes you feel as though you are directly connected with your ancestors. I declare the right to cultural heritage.

Anonymous said...

We have to be able to believe in something, humans as a whole are addictive people we revolve our world around addiction to work addiction to love addiction to culture and so on. Cultural heritage is a form of self preservation to our artifacts or history and respect having the right to cultural heritage has the right to all of the above plus more it is what makes some of us who we are today. Cultural heritage is also a form of having faith in what we believe in and force our minds to believe in that certain concept. -J.J.V.

Anonymous said...

Cultural heritage defines us. Our language, our way of life, our tastes, everything. Sometimes, we embrace other cultures and add more to our identities which I believe is great. We're not forgetting our heritage but simply opening our arms and embracing a new one. Etel

A.N.A. said...

I disagree that culture heritage is something that completely defines us. There are many people who come from homes that are multi-cultural and parents who in a sense, negate each other. I believe cultural history is something that should be passed from parent to child in order to ensure a sense of cultural knowledge in the next generation, however I do not believe it is something that should be forced upon. Many individuals are born to parents with completely different religious or ethical beliefs and it is up to the parents to keep their child aware, but to also let them choose for themselves.

Anonymous said...

Cultural heritage does define who we are in our society. It is what gives us the term "melting pot" in the United States. However, as different as we all can be, cultural heritage is not something everyone carries along with themselves throughout life. Some of us are not technically "cultured" at all. Also, cultural heritage ties into our beliefs, it affects how we raise our children, but it should always be an option or a choice to the youth and casually presented.

-G.R.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to heritage because everything and everyone has a past without it there is no future. People should look into there culture to have a better understanding of how they came to be.
CR

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to cultural heritage. Everyone should have cultural heritage, so that people know that heritage is a part of them and a part of who they are in life.
Chelsea M.

Anonymous said...

Everyone should have the right to cultural heritage considering that this right has such a great impact in who we are. The customs we saw while growing up, in many ways, shaped us and helped us find our own identity. The right to cultural heritage allows us to identify ourselves with the people than come from the same background we come from and it plays a big role in every person's life. D.C.R

Anonymous said...

The right to cultural heritage is related to the history of a group of people whether it is a country or a smaller group. This marvelous heritage has to do with the identity of the group itself and as an individual too. We should be proud of the inheritance that our ancestors have left for us to cherish and demonstrate this great legacy to the world by our languages, arts, dances, art crafts, etc… O.V.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to cultural heritage because it is very important to show where you came from. I love my cultural heritage and love to learn about new ones! I support the right to cultural heritage. -MV

Anonymous said...

Cultural heritage makes us who we are. It defines where we came from and what our ancestors where all about. Its shows us our history of our family and helps create our future family with keeping our rituals and beliefs alive. -ABL