Cultural development is an integral component of the national development process as it is the vehicle for inculcating the love of the arts, aesthetics, moral values, and helping to build national unity and the patriotic fervour.

While economics and industry drives material development culture develops and nurtures the development of the mind which is equally important as the former.

Amid the global financial crisis it is worthwhile to note that a top Chinese official has called for increased emphaisis on cultural development.

According to Xinhua news agency, Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Li Changchun has underscored the importance of cultural development in the country amid the global financial crisis.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the call at an awarding ceremony for individuals and organizations that had made remarkable contribution to China’s cultural development.

Authorities must attach more importance to the country’s cultural development, he said.

Li called for efforts to create a favorable social environment to promote steady economic growth and to build a well-off society, by improving the ethics and academic qualities of the Chinese public, and promoting cultural development that puts people first, he said.

M. A. Brennan in his paper The Importance of Incorporating Local Culture into Community Development argues that: “The inclusion of culture into community and economic development models can take many shapes and forms. Culture can serve as the central focus. Included would be tourism and other efforts that focus largely on the promotion, preservation, or enhancement of local or regional cultures. Culture can also be a factor that needs to be addressed to determine its impact on new or existing development programs (resource management, environmental protection). In facing development, the programmes that communities are willing to accept and embrace are likely to depend largely on cultural factors. It is therefore vital that problems and potential solutions be defined in a manner consistent with the local culture.”

He adds: “Regional or local culture can serve as a basis for development. Such efforts can serve to promote the local identity, regional languages, and minority cultures. Efforts can focus on preservation or promotion of a culture, but can also use culture to mobilize the local population. Examples of cultural preservation or efforts focusing solely on a culture are often seen in relation to tourism and conservation efforts. Included are renovation of villages (architectural rehabilitation, etc.), highlighting the architectural heritage of an area (restoring historic sites to serve as a focal point for tourists), cultural venues (local heritage centers, traditional cultural events), traditional craft and artistic skills (development of industry and employment based on the production of items which are symbolic of the local culture), and cultural based entertainment and cultural dissemination (organization of cultural activities, festivals, permanent exhibitions). Equally important is the environmental aspects of culture, where traditional uses of natural resources or events symbolise local cultural ties to environmental processes (solstice festivals, harvest festivals, agriculture progress days).These efforts serve as a basis for development, but also serve to maintain cultural traditions and ways of life. Furthermore, such forms of development highlight the importance of rural cultures and identify their role in shaping wider society. Finally, through such development, community and cultural identities are reinforced and collective identities strengthened. Such interaction can lead to an improved state of community and social well-being.”

Guyana, because of its historical evolution is blessed with a beautiful diversity of culture which have been weaved into a wonderful tapestry and is continuing to build on this wonderful foundation to fashion its national culture which is still relatively young, being a nation of only just over four decades old.

However, as a nation we have an uphill task to guard against cultural penetration which increasingly seeks to dominate developing countries in another form of imperialism through the electronic media. And this could pose a severe threat to the preservation and development of our national culture.

Therefore, it is imperative that we revisit the direction our cultural development is taking to ensure that is going along the right path and to take the necessary remedial measures to correct the deficiencies.

Perhaps we can take a cue from Robin Cooper who exhorted: “According to the best supported theory; one line of Homo sapiens, the stocky, powerful neanderthals, became extinct; but another line gave rise to people virtually indistinguishable from the modern races of mankind. These modern human beings had appeared by 40 000 years ago. Since then, we have hardly changed at all in appearance and structure. Evolution seems to have transferred its impetus to the increasingly sophistication of our cultures and the abilities of our minds.”