FRESH EYES

In praise of alternative views that unravel confusion

- Marc Almagro

Leeroy New, Shalini Ganendra, Voranai Vanijaka, AJ Dimarucot, Keng-Ming Liu, and Erza S.T. offer articulate, clear and forceful views that examine familiar challenges from a different perspective.

Protecting Cultures

Shalini Ganendra

Cultural Advisor & Scholar Director, Shalini Ganendra Advisory

Does globalization have the power to subvert or undermine existing cultures? And if this were the case, how should people respond to possible threats to the survival of their own culture?

Ms. Shalini Ganendra argues that “before we engage in any discussion on cultural erasure and uniqueness, we have to be aware of what we have in our own cultures to assign value.”

“The question”, she says, “is not how to preserve ‘authentic culture’ — a misnomer — but how to respect cultural traditions and recognize their adaptation. Globalization has not brought homogeneity per se, but certainly an increased awareness of happenings, of people and information generally, through technology, ease of travel and geopolitical interest.”

Ms. Ganendra is the founder of Shalini Ganendra Advisory, initially launched as a gallery in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and gradually developed it into a cultural advisory. Its programming and scholarship focus for the past 20 years has been to bring contemporary creative practices, primarily from Sri Lanka and Malaysia, into broader global view and conversations, and equally to bring greater awareness of the variety and richness of cultural traditions and contemporary practices to local civil society.

Who can become the main guardians of culture? “Quality public and private institutions with well-considered, comprehensive collections become key players in preserving and informing through access and study,” she says.