Essay on" Culture A Dynamic Driver for Better Future"

TITLE: “CULTURE: A DYNAMIC DRIVER FOR A BETTER FUTURE”

---MD OSIM AQUATAR, INDIA

INTRODUCTION:

The famous lines quoted by Marcus Garvey, as “A people without the knowledge of their past history; origin and culture are like a tree without roots”. Really, the words are relevant for today. Since the dawn of civilization, culture is interrelated to human beings. The word culture is derived from the Latin word ‘Cultura’ which means ,the customs ,beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country or group.

The theme of essay “The Power of Culture to Create a Better Future” is a relevant topic in the present world scenario. It has been observed all over the world that the culture of each ethnic groups have been deteriorating gradually by the alien cultures. The prestigious organization UNESCO has taken the initiative towards safeguarding the valuable cultural heritages of the world.

Culture is the way of life .The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the language we speak in, the world heritage sites we often visit today (i.e. Taj Mahal, the Pyramid of Giza etc.) and the God we worship all are aspects of culture.  All the achievements of human beings can be called culture. The great thinker M.K. Gandhi can aptly say “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”

CULTURE & ITS HIDDEN POWER

Culture and its hidden power are not an isolated subjects, but link with many aspects of our daily lives. The value of ancient culture has relevant today, while we are living with the 3G-4G mobile ,internet and nuclear age. Culture can undoubtedly change individual lives. Though, culture can help to solve obdurate social and economic problems; to raise understanding between people and nations; and to encourage solutions to some of the major international challenges we all face.

CULTURE: A DYNAMIC DRIVER

Culture really an enabler of sustainable development. If we will try to achieve our so famous MDG goal; it is aptly important for each and every country of the world to utilize their cultural traits in a sustainable way. From past history statistics shows that culture can be a powerful driver for holistic development with community-wide social, economic and environmental impact .The relevance of cultural sectors to the economy and poverty alleviation is unavoidable. Cultural heritage, sustainable cultural tourism and cultural infrastructure etc. can serve as strategic tools for revenue generation, particularly in developing countries. A statistical excerpts from “UN’s POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA” shows that the cultural and creative industries represent one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the global economy with a growth rate of 17.6% in the Middle-East,13.6% in Africa ,11.95% in S.America,9.75% in Asia ,6.9% in Australia, and 4.35% in North Central America. Gross global tourism grew at an average rate of 75% from 1998 to 2008, with 12% for the least developed countries for the same period. Investment in culture and creativity has proven an excellent earning for rejuvenate the economy of villages, towns and cities. Today, many cities use cultural events and institutions to improve their image, stimulate urban development and attract visitors. Most countries are developing vibrant cultural sectors and initiatives in this area.

DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE FOR FUTURE

The following points should be taken in account in the lines of development of culture-

v  Integrating culture into administration and governance.

v  Incorporate CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative among global community.

v  Cultural sectors contribution to Economic development and poverty alleviation.

v  Capitalization on traditional knowledge to faster Environmental Sustainability.

v  To build culture to promote social cohesion especially among youth and in post-war and post-disaster situation.

v  Secular outlook of culture for global peace.

v  Promoting culture as a unity, integration and universal brotherhood.

CONCLUSION

In fact, culture has a hidden power which enables as a driving force towards creating a better future for upcoming generation especially reducing unemployment creating livelihood among youth. The youth population in developing countries has more than 50% (e.g. India) out of their total population. This is the need of the hour for youth (finest human resource) to contribute their proficiency and involve in the cultural and tourism sector which has no doubt gives them an ample job perspective.

                                                                                                By MD OSIM AQUATAR

                                                                                                ODISHA, INDIA

(email:mdaquatar.88@gmail.com)

***THE ESSAY WAS ADJUDGED AS INSIGHTFUL ONE BY THE UNESCO & THE GOI PEACE FOUNDATION, JAPAN,

*** (IRINA BOKOVA, Director General, UNESCO)