Diya Upreti, Jadetimes Staff
Diya Upreti is a Jadetimes news reporter covering cultural News
In the highly interdependent world, where globalization has always resulted in the blurring and further dilution of cultural boundaries, art and music stand out as critical mechanisms for cultural identity preservation and celebration. Both art and music draw their depth from historical origins, since they form a repository of values, beliefs, and experiences of a given community. Whether through time-honored mediums or modern interpretations, these artistic expressions bridge the old and the new, making cultural heritage live well beyond change.
Art as Cultural Chronicle
It has, therefore, been one of the most efficient tools to record and communicate the heritage of a culture to posterity. Visual arts, in paintings, sculptures, pottery, and embroidery, synthesize the experience, religious belief, and even the social moorings of the community. Traditional arts represent aesthetic principles beyond the realm of the abstract for a culture; they often carry deeper meanings in philosophy, spirituality, and history.
For example, Aboriginal art from Australia is a very simple but beautiful dot-filled and symbol-based art with vibrant colours describing Dreamtime stories that form the spiritual basis of Indigenous Australian culture. They are not only visually but also a narration method meant to help protect history and pass down information from generation to generation. Like Native American societies and more specifically the tribes in the Pacific Northwest, the totem poles communicate history, lineage, and past moments and serve to be the legacies of the individuals making them. Each carving on the pole will tell a story and express the ethos of the community.
At the same time, many of the arts will survive even in modern moments, merging into contemporary art forms to remain alive. For example, thangkas, which are paintings, are usually applied in religious ceremonies, and many modern artists continue to make these detailed paintings today. Each one of these detailed paintings shows various Buddhist deities, mandalas, and important spiritual messages, all of which will safeguard Tibetan cultural as well as religious monuments.
Music as a Living Archive
Music, just as visual art, preserves the cultural identity of individuals. Indeed, music can break down the barriers of language, offering instead a universal expression of emotions, histories, and values. Traditional songs, instruments, and rhythms hold within them a heartbeat of culture, which has paved the way for the oral passing of stories, rituals, and a kind of beliefs across generations.
For example, for many African cultures, griots or traditional musicians, whose functions include a lot of storytelling, writing of history, give an avenue for the preservation of the oral tradition of various African societies. In their music, griots narrate stories about ancestors and historic events, as well as passing on wisdom, so that cultural memory does not decline even when written records do not exist. In modern-day West Africa, the role of the griot remains a valid and incorporated aspect in the sounds produced by many, where traditional rhythms combine with contemporary musical styles to appeal to younger audiences and maintain their cultural identity.
In the Americas, genres such as blues, jazz, and gospel music have their origins within the African American cultural traditions, born out of the experience of slavery and the fight for civil rights. These musical styles have not only framed the global landscape of music but, more importantly, have served as a tool for expressing resiliency, hope, and identification. Today, musicians use them to face current social and political issues while paying homage to their deep cultural roots.
Likewise, traditional music, be it folk songs in Ireland, India, or anywhere else in the world, plays a similar role. These songs often speak of local myths, the history of the battles, and even the pastoral life of the people, thus maintaining the intricacies within a particular culture's language and traditions. Examples of such influence include the Indian classical music traditions that are still in practice today: Hindustani and Carnatic music; these maintain their ancient ragas (melodic frameworks), which express spiritual and philosophical themes, which serve not only to keep old cultural knowledge alive but also to give impetus to modern music within India, keeping it alive and evolving.
Art and Music: A Bridge to the Future
Art and music are especially powerful in aspects of cultural identity, as they can be vibrant yet still maintain parts of their past. Many of the artists and musicians of today may use their rich heritage, using some old and mixing it with the new to make something that is new but also old.
For example, take the work of modern-day Native American artists who ingest and recycle the ancients' symbols and stories into the modern medium, which may include film, digital art, or street art. The work does not only constitute means by which cultural stories are preserved but also a podium addressing the contemporary social issues of cultural appropriation, environmental degradation, and Indigenous rights. This ever-changing aspect of art maintains cultures in the mainstream of the modern world while at the same time providing them with their uniqueness.
Others who exemplify such scenarios include Youssou N'Dour of Senegal and Ravi Shankar of India, who have managed to bring international celebrity status to themselves while maintaining their cultural music to remain a global force by fusing traditional sounds with contemporary music.
In this process, they introduce the beauty of their cultural sounds into the world and keep such traditions for future generations.
Art and music are creative expressions, but they go far beyond this; they serve as tools for preserving the community cultural identity of nations all over the world. They make sure that heritage is passed down from one generation to the next in the form of the history, values, and culture of a people. As far as globalization is concerned, it does not always bring people together as one. It is basically a threat to cultural homogenization, but in the arts and music, we find ways to celebrate diversity, protect our traditions, and keep alive the past in an ever-changing landscape.
