FOLK CULTURE AS A MEANS OF UNITING PEOPLES

Folk culture, which people create over generations, is a heritage of expressive symbolism within a community’s cultural system. 

When we research and analyze a culture, we must take the following into account:

 

• Folk culture does not receive the respect and appreciation that is its due because it is considered the culture of the common people, a source of information about the masses rather than the elite. Historians focus on communities’ rulers and religious and military leaders.

 

• Folklore has been reduced to a specific form of the arts, such as music, singing, dancing or other forms regarded as ordinary forms of expression. Folklore is actually far broader and richer because it includes various cultural forms. 

 

 • Developed countries have recognized the value of folk culture and taken measures to preserve and support it, because folk culture contributes to the national economy and provides an income for creative people. 

 

• Folk culture is pure, because it is created by common people whose creativity is unrefined. 

Folk culture is a collection of material and non-material individual and collective activities that reflect the community’s identity. These activities take place on special occasions such as feasts, festivals, and other events with rituals and celebrations. In all its manifestations, folk culture is a vital force today.

 

Preserved and passed down through the generations, heritage responds to changes in the social and cultural environment. Communities must make every effort to protect and support their heritage. This includes identifying, documenting and studying heritage, emphasizing the importance of its role, passing it down through formal and informal education, and reviving various aspects of heritage. We highlight the role that museums play in protecting heritage.

According to scientific studies, folk culture plays a key role in uniting groups and peoples. In light of globalization, we must emphasize the common features of folk cultures in order to strengthen the unity of Arab societies. We must face challenges and confirm our identity; we have every confidence in our shared Arab culture.