Digital heritage to save an endangered culture: the case of Palestine

Friday March 30 is the day that over 30000 Palestinians embarked on a peaceful protest march to the border area of the Gaza strip to bring the unfulfilled right of return to their family homes inside Israel and to highlight the ongoing plight of living under Israeli occupation to the attention of the international community. Friday March 30 is also the day that these Palestinians were met with lethal force, including deployed troops, drones, tanks and snipers. Friday March 30 is the day that 15 Palestinians were killed, and over 1000 wounded.

http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/free-palestine.jpg

The murderously disproportionate violence against demonstrating Palestinians is only the latest in the continuous maltreatment of the Palestinian people. In the digital age violence exceeds the physical realm and emerges as censorship and the shutting down of websites (More here).The continuous strikes against Palestinians call for acts of preservation and recently several projects have been launched. This article will cover an internationally funded preservation project as well as a locally organized grassroots heritage organization.

How is Palestinian heritage being preserved in the modern world; a minority in a state of constant conflict? While the Palestinian culture is in a fragile state, there are ongoing projects with the aim of preserving Palestinian heritage through digital means. Ramesh et al (2009) writes about modernizing museology by digitizing content. By this, it is meant that “Archaeologists, cultural preservationists, curators, and, critically, indigenous peoples must all interact around the object, and influence its selection, acquisition, classification, and presentation” (Ramesh et al 2009). When speaking of a culture as marginalized as that of the Palestinians, this is important, as misrepresentation is an undeniable risk. Not only is Palestinian culture largely misrepresented, it is also endangered: a substantive amount of Palestinian heritage has been lost or destroyed in the way of conflict.

A lot of Palestine’s heritage was destroyed by Israel during various periods, most notably of course during the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948, and during the invasion of Beirut in 1982 where the Palestinian Liberation Organization research center was looted. Furthermore, in 2001 the Bayt al-Shareq institution in Jerusalem was shut down and it’s documents, research and studies were confiscated. So what is left to preserve? As Ramesh et al (2009) states; digitized content should be more than ‘brief educational images’. Given the current state of Palestine and the already considerable loss of historical artefacts and heritage items, the task of heritage conservation is not an easy one.

The Palestinian Museum, located in Birzeit in the central West Bank, has launched a project in order to create a digital archive of historical documents, photos and films that reflect the history of Palestine. According to Zina Jardaneh, chair of the museum’s board, the archive will document, digitize and publish 145000 endangered archival items in both Arabic and English. Jardaneh says the museum’s mission is to connect Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause with Palestine’s history and civilization, which this project will only enhance.

The project will not only recover a large amount of documents, but also make them available to an audience beyond Palestine. The University of California will also publish the digital archives on their website as part of a partnership with the Palestinian Museum. The project relies on historians and academics from inside and outside Palestine for the collection of necessary items and data.

The digital archive project will contribute to the preservation of Palestinian history for future generations to come, following decades during which this history was lost due to the lack of supervision and documentation. The project will also preserve the national and historical narrative and protect it from extinction and provide a database for researchers around the world.

Palestine is endangered of being attacked through shutting down and censoring websites and most Palestinian heritage was demolished during the invasion of Beirut in 1982. As a result, the Palestinian Liberation Organization research center has been robbed. To combat the attacks, the Palestinians have funded to preserve their national heritage through many mediums. Archaeologists, preservationists, curators and indigenous people must in fact have to part take in the movement to display and archive heritage: as it is an endangered one. A mention worthy attempt has been made across linguistic borders: the archives have been uploaded and published in both Arabic and English to attract readers outside and within Palestine. The projects have been reliant on historians and academics and form in the Palestine for the collection of primary sources and will continue to preserve heritage for the future generations as it holds the national and historical identity of the Palestinians

Food for thought: Is digital content a safer way to contain heritage for Palestine?

Written by: Jesse, Marie, Saru and Sandra

Melhem, A. (2018, April 11). Palestinian Museum's digital archive project to preserve heritage. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/palestinian-museum-to-create-digital-archive.html

Srinivasan, Ramesh et al (2009): Digital Museum and Diverse Cultural Knowledges: Moving Past the Traditional Catalogue. In: The Information Society, pp. 265-278.

Silberman, Neil: Collective Memory as Affirmation: People-Centered Cultural Heritage in a Digital Age.

Exploring our hometown: A day at the Groningen Archive

You might have heard of Groningen as a popular student city, with a beautiful old town and local dishes such as the Eierbal, but did you know that Groningen also has its own dialect? It is to this day spoken by an estimated 590’000 speakers (ethnologue.com) and the language is growing in popularity, now being increasingly used in education, theater, music, cabaret, literature and media. To introduce people that are not familiar with the dialect as well as speakers of it, the RHC Groningen Archives organized the ‘Day of the Groningen Language’ (‘Dag van de Grunneger toal’). The event took place on March 17th on a brisk Saturday morning. This year the regional historical center (RHC) was proud to present the 9th edition, having prepared a program with Groningen-dialect-speaking musical acts, lectures, presentations of poets and writers and much more.

The Groningen archive is set to preserve and collect all things Groningen: books, magazines, newspapers, maps, drawings, prints, picture postcards, posters, photographs, negatives, films, videos and sound recordings (groningerarchieven.nl). Located at the heart of Groningen, the archive is a prime example of cultural heritage with its impressive collection of Groninger goods. Apart from their cultural library, the archive is actively involved in educating the public by organizing different workshops and lectures. The Dag van de Grunneger toal is a great example of this: the event attained visitors of all ages to learn everything there is to learn about Gronings. Every aspect of the event was centered around Groningen and its dialect; our writers even got to taste local eierballen!

Groningen Archive library

Us, a group of students studying local heritage, fittingly were asked to assist a Master student at the University of Groningen to conduct several interviews with visitors of the event. In short interviews of roughly 3 to 4 minutes, visitors were asked a couple of questions concerning their personal details, followed up by questions about their knowledge and attitude towards the Groningen dialect. Interviewers had to adapt the questionnaire to whether visitors were speakers or non-speakers of the language; as not everyone from Groningen speaks the dialect. Naturally the event attracted Gronings enthusiasts so finding fluent candidates was not too hard of a task.

Interview in process

Gronings is the collective name for numerous varieties of the Nedersaksisch regional language, spoken in and around the province of Groningen. The regional language is characterized by its distinct accent and vocabulary, which deviates strongly from other Nedersaksisch dialects. Nowadays about 65% of the inhabitants of the Groningen province say they can speak and write their language. For a lot of elderly people, Gronings is the most important means of expression. Younger generations do still speak the dialect, even though it becomes more and more mixed with Dutch. The newest generations are often only taught Dutch, as parents are worried about linguistic delay in the Dutch language.

Because Gronings is not recognized as an official language, it is not a mandatory subject in schools. However, more and more primary schools in Groningen choose to include it in their education, although this is not the case for high schools. The University of Groningen does offer a Gronings program, and it can also be learned through language courses which have seen a rise of interest in the last few years.

Gronings is also used in literature and music. Various books have been written in Gronings and in 2008, the Bible was published in Gronings. There are a couple reasonably well known artists who write and perform their music in Gronings, and the amount of artists and their success is rising every year.

The Dag van Grunneger toal is a local heritage that offers many vintage and traditional books, newspapers, maps, drawings, posters, photographs, films etc from the past. We as a small group have helped out a master student on conducting interviews with locals in the Groningen Achieves about their understanding and attitudes towards Gronings dialect. Even though the questions had to be adapted to accommodate non-speakers and speakers of Gronings, the day was a great success for interviewers and interviewees alike. In today's current situation, the majority of the elderly speak pure Gronings as their fundamental language, however, the younger generations tend to mix both languages together. Perhaps these types of events will continue to help preserve the vitality of our very own local dialect and give the younger generations the gift of cultural heritage in the form of language.

Food for thought: What else could be be done to help Groningen keep its dialect alive?

Written by: Jesse, Marie, Sandra and Saru

Groninger archieven. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://www.groningerarchieven.nl/

Gronings. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2018, from

https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gos

When indigenous becomes ingenuine: the effects of tourism on Sami culture

Have you ever traveled further than 50 miles from your home? Well, then you are most likely a cultural tourist. Do arts and culture influence how you choose your travel destination? Then you are taking part in a tourism industry that has seen significant growth in recent years. Richard Prentice defines this new form of tourism as “constructed, proffered and consumed explicitly or implicitly as cultural appreciation, either as experiences or schematic knowledge gaining” (Prentice 2001). In this post we will explore the experiential side of cultural tourism, investigating the case of the Sami in Scandinavia, whose culture has been featured in various (open air) museums. Open air museums have a long tradition in Scandinavia, providing the visitor with a rather unique experience. The museum becomes a place of ‘attaining the real’ (Prentice 2001). But how authentic is this what is sold to us as ‘real’?  Is authenticity possible in a museum setting, or does the very act of abstraction and interpretation make authentic representation of a minority culture impossible? And what socioeconomic impact does the commodification and (mis)representation of an ethnolinguistic minority such as the Sami have not only on their identity and cultural self-esteem? We will explore these questions in the following paragraphs.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duffeli/580181717

The indigenous Sami culture is seen as an asset for developing a tourism industry as it diversified the Sami economy and generated new sources of income. The SSA (Swedish Sami Association) has promoted and supported Sami tourism, through the aims to develop and aid the Sami to profit from it. Due to the Samis’ economic boom, the communities are fronting development and globalization, meaning the traditions and modern livelihood are coexistent. For instance herding, fishing, and hunting are not the main source of income for the Samis, however, they play an important role in Sami communities. As Prentice (2001) notes, a modern aspect of tourism is the inclusion of cultural empathy; to provide the visitor with a truly authentic and spiritual experience. Experiential tourism, as Prentice calls it, is becoming a significant way of tourism; culture is to be explored and found instead of readily presented in order to offer the most authentic cultural experience to the visitor (Prentice 2001). But how to represent an indigenous minority culture, such as the one of the Sami, as truthfully as possible? Can a culture be explored and not exploited?

Sami culture has over time been commodified and marketed as a tourist destination; as a souvenir industry, for decoration, costumes and tourist products. Indigenous tourism has been seen as an opportunity for the Sami communities and their economy, however, it was also seen as a threat to their culture and traditions. As a result of the booming tourist industry, non-Sami tourist entrepreneurs have been innovative in using Sami culture in marketing and tourism business. In this setting, Sami culture is not always truthfully represented, but shaped as a product that is more aligned with tourists’ imagination and expectations, and is in danger of losing authenticity.

Museums often display Sami culture as well, for instance; the open-air Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo has received financial support from UNESCO in order to set up a site where immaterial Sami cultural heritage is displayed. There will be staff manning the site, who will give a  verbal presentation as well as demonstrate various activities such as preparing food and traditional clothing (norskfolkemuseum.no) However, this exposition does not have to be specifically manned by people from Sami heritage. With a non-Sami person representing Sami culture, the danger of misrepresentation is imminent. Cultural representation in museums does not necessarily have to be inauthentic. Museums can display cultures in a correct and appreciative manner, but in order to do so, people from the represented culture should be present and in charge of the exposition in order to prevent misinterpretation, and as a result, misrepresentation.

Nowadays, Sami tourism is considered as ‘Culture Disposed’ of tourism meaning, Sami culture has been taken advantage of by the non-Sami entrepreneurs leaving the Samis without profit. The demand and interest for the authenticity of cultural tourism with indigenous presence is slowly growing, making it likely to re-evaluate the commodification of the tourism industry. Maybe this re-evaluation and desire for authentic representation of Sami culture could spark an interest in Sami people to partake in representing their traditional ways authentically. This resurgence could reinstate and solidify a genuine Sami culture and boost their cultural self-esteem. There are many opportunities to shift the tourism industry towards a direction that supports living possibilities in the Sami provinces and promotes the Sami culture to flourish (Aikio, 2014).

Food for thought: Is it possible to provide experiential tourism without commodifying the culture in question? Can you think of a successful attempt?

Written by Jesse, Marie, Saru and Sandra

References

Aikio, E. (2014). Chapter 4.4 Tourism development in Saami communities in Finland. Septentrio Conference Series, (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.7557/5.3211

Interpretation of Sami Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://norskfolkemuseum.no/en/unesco-supports-project-in-the-openair-museum

Prentice, Richard. “Experiential Cultural Tourism: Museums & the Marketing of the New Romanticism of Evoked Authenticity.” Museum Management and Curatorship 19, no. 1 (2001): 5-26

Expanding beyond nations: an overview of UNESCO world heritage sites

There are numerous frameworks made in order to preserve cultural capital, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) being the most well-known. Their list of World Heritage sites consists of numerous cultural and natural sites, chosen for being of great cultural value and importance. In this post, we will visit a handful of them and revise why they have earned their spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In the words of Broadman (2014): “In all this, nationalism need and should play no part”. While UNESCO does not choose their heritage sites based on nationalistic pride, their list of qualifications carries a certain universal sense of importance, meaning, they are chosen for a reason. Let us visit a few of these sites below and see why.

Old City of Berne

The Old City of Berne is the federal and de facto capital of Switzerland, situated on the Swiss plateau between the Jura and the Alps. The city was founded in 12th century and saw large advances urban structures including wide streets, utilized for marketplaces, infrastructure for water transportations and extraordinary building structures that have been built from sandy limestone. The Old City of Berne is a great example of a UNESCO World Heritage site as it has conserved its medieval urban structure over time, to the gradually diverse utilities of a capital city of the modern State. The site includes all urban ancient constructions from 12th to the 19th century. During the first century, protection of the city was most through appearance of the buildings, large majority of historic buildings demonstrating extensive periods in time that have retained their interior structures. The Heritage site aids from a legislation from 1908, which has been changed many times to aim towards the protection of the urban landscape, putting constraints on any possible interventions. The supervision of the site is safeguarded by an administrative system that include the authorities of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation. The intensive amenity of city for historic monument is responsible for conservation of the built heritage. Long term challenges comprise concentrated preservation of the original substance whilst taking into account the people who inhabit the center are mainly for work and commerce (Whc.unesco.org, n.d.). It is of importance to preserve the Old City of Berne as it was one of the rare cities that was developed over the centuries with coherent planning concepts. The fountains date back to the 16th century and the arcades to the 15th century. Although most of the medieval town was reinstated during the 18th century, it has nevertheless retained its unique nature (vom Hove, n.d.).

https://umeyyzaini.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/site_0267_0001-469-0-20100219123841.jpg

Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna fortress is arguably one of the most popular cultural sites in Helsinki. It is situated on multiple islands south of the city center and draws attention from both local and international visitors for its unique architecture and historical value. It has served for military purposes under three separate eras: Kingdom of Sweden, Imperial Russia, and finally, modern Finland. It has earned its spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list as a “unique monument of military architecture” (suomenlinna.fi). But what makes this fortress so unique?

Built in 1747, Suomenlinna Fortress was meant to be a Bastion style sea fortress, made to defend the city from possible maritime attacks (suomenlinna.fi). It is built on a rocky, irregular cluster of islands: as a matter of fact, its construction was never fully completed, partially because of the challenging landscape.

A Bastion fort, or a Star fort, is a type of fortress originating from medieval Italy that is strategically built to protect from attacks. It resembles a star- like shape, often built into a regular pentagon or hexagon, with bastions providing added defence from strategical angles (castlesandmanorhouses.com).

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/H7112_Suomenlinna_-_Kustaanmiekka_C.JPG

The Suomenlinna fortress made it on the UNESCO World Heritage list because of the following criteria:  “In the history of military architecture, the Fortress of Suomenlinna is an outstanding example of general fortification principles of the 17th and 18th centuries, notably the bastion system, and also showcases individual characteristics” (whc.unesco.org).

Wouda Pumping Station

The Wouda Pumping Station (Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal) is the largest and most powerful steam-driven installation for hydraulic purposes ever built, and is still successfully carrying out the function for which it was designed. It’s significance in hydraulic engineering has provided models and set the standards for the whole world for centuries, and has enabled the Woudagemaal it’s position in the world heritage list.

The components of the pumping station are authentic and still in very good condition. It’s state is virtually identical to what it was at the time of opening and it is still an important componant of the pumping system that keeps the province from being flooded. In order to preserve the building and protect the important views from the building, construction projects for tall structures in the vicinity of the pumping station are closely monitored.

The pumping station including its boiler house, chimney and coal storage depot are designated as a monument under UNESCO’s 1988 Monuments and Historic Buildings Act and all interventions require official authorization (UNESCO, n.d.). According to Boardman, the use of the word ‘national’ carries with it the implication that the modern nation has a responsibility to protect it’s heritage (Boardman, 2014). It is therefore also not only listed as UNESCO World Heritage, but is also protected under the Dutch ‘Erfgoedwet’ (Heritage Law), to ensure it’s preservation.

Syrian-German collaboration on protecting Syrian heritage sites

The collaboration between Syrian and German institutions working together to preserve Syrian cultural heritage endangered by the Syrian (civil) war, shows that cultural heritage management does not in fact always have to stay national. The cultural heritage sites in Syria include the ancient cities of Damascus, Aleppo and Bosra as well as the ancient oasis city of Palmyra. The sites have been frequently targeted by Islamic State (IS) as well as illegal excavations. Documenting and preserving Syria’s cultural heritage is an enormous task and cannot possibly be accomplished by Syrian archeologists alone. The German Archeological Institute (https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/arts-architecture/syrias-cultural-heritage), therefore started helping digitizing photos, plans and drawings as well as sending specialists to Syria to train and further educate Syrian colleagues for fields such as excavating, museum work and conservation. The federal foreign office planned to invest 2.65 million euros each year into Syrian heritage conservation and documentation, starting in 2016.

Before and After of the ancient city of Palmyra (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/palmyra-syria-photos-new-palmyra-photos-show-devastation-of-artefacts-ruined-by-isis-a6964766.html)

Such an example of cooperation and solidarity raises hope in a world where, according to Boardman (2014), many countries have rather poor reputations when it comes to providing international scholars with records of national heritage, often motivated by jealousy and concern about ‘copyright’.

Food for thought: Is the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites truly expanding cultural capital beyond the nationalistic "copyright"?

Written by Jesse, Marie, Saru and Sandra

List of references:

Boardman, John.  “‘National’ Heritage and Scholarship,” in  Cultural Heritage Ethics. Between Theory and Practice, edited by Constantine Sandis, 231-234. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2014.

Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Fortress of Suomenlinna." UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed February 20, 2018. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/583.

"Fortress and history - Suomenlinna Official Website." Suomenlinna. Accessed February 20, 2018. https://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/fortress/.

International, American. "Types of Castle and The History of Castles." Types and History of Castles - Star Forts. Accessed February 20, 2018. http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/types_10_star.htm.

UNESCO. (sd). Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station). Opgehaald van whc.unesco.org: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/867

vom Hove, T. (n.d.). City Mayors: Historic Cities in Western Europe. [online] Citymayors.com. Available at: http://www.citymayors.com/culture/historic_weurope2.html [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].

Whc.unesco.org. (n.d.). Old City of Berne. [online] Available at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/267 [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].