Neglect for art & cultural heritage preservation in the region.
Sep 11, 2014 admin Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Featured 0
Article by Muriuki Wamuyu.
The appreciation of art and its vital role as a transformative tool in society can never be wished away. However, the uptake of art and its utility in diverse forms, either as a tool for learning and passing on morals and virtues in community has been challenged over the last couple of years.
The factors contributing to this change of scene could be viewed as social- psychological a well as social economic factors that have overburdened the average young man and woman in our society today. The attitude of the community towards arts is also wanting. Attesting to this fact for instance is the low number of entries and art submissions for the annual Central Wacka Wacka Festival of Music and Art organized annually for the sole purpose of promoting art and culture in Nyeri County.
In a bid to foster development and cooperation among community members, it is paramount that we embrace art as a tool to foster communication of virtues and passing on the virtues from one generation to another. For instance, the use of narratives and proverbial sayings that have been used by elder generations have been effective in communicating aspirations and virtues of the Kikuyu community and passing on morals closer to the heart of Gikuyu and Mumbi. The preservation of these sayings and proverbs has not been captured in recent books written by Kikuyu authors or documented in any other form hence gradually fading away.
The neglect of our art and culture has also been evident from the quick adoption and assimilation of western cultures at the expense of our own. The excuse for many has been that we will perhaps be overtaken by technological advancement if we shy from fully embracing the western culture and secondly, our traditional and cultural way of doing things is not adequately sophisticated. In trading our cultures or rather facing them out, we have lost morals and forgotten the essence of vital teachings that were earlier passed on through art, rites and rituals.
However, all is not lost in this quest to highlight the plight emanating from our inadequacy of pride in our art and culture. Many people are yet to admit the need to preserve our culture but the dialogue and conversation still persists. Endeavour by different personalities such as media personalities and prominent kikuyu artists have been reaching the ears of those that love to listen. It is upon every art and culture conscious person in our community today to play their role in upholding the dignity of their culture and sharing the essence of art in society. The duty to maintain and preserve culture is not a task left only upon the shoulders of a few select in the community but a role to be played by all of us.
The writer is an author and regional director, Collab Media & Publishing – Africa. Email: [email protected]
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