Intangible and Tangible Heritage in a Cross-cultural Setting: Integrity Versus Profit

Abstract

The paper explores the impact of cross-cultural integration on the intangible and tangible heritage and its sustainability. It argues that the processes of acculturation generate a distancing between the original creators of the heritage and the narratives attached to the cultural entities in a new setting. The named detachment demises the originality and uniqueness of the local heritage expressed in language, rites, dressing, greetings, music, folklore, religion, cultural monuments, and sites. More so detrimental to the original ‘spirit of the place,’ are the new cultural modes imposed by time and change. In the context of the named challenges, this study aims to reinforce the significant role the original local culture plays in the progressively changing world. The defined cultural spaces of the local heritage, engrossed in the shared experiences and collective memories, enshrine the community cultural character and identity. These, in turn, provide an environment conducive to stability, safety, and an inspirational springboard for expressions evidenced both in tangible and intangible heritage. More so, it suggests that a clearly delineated cultural identity of the intangible heritage provides a motivational framework not only for creative expressions in the present but also a motivational for creative expressions in the future.