The Glocalization or the value of local authenticity in the global culture
The globalization and the cosmopolitanism have been fashionable concepts over the last few years, being found in all fields, from economy and politics to gastronomy and fashion. The Romanian traditional blouse has gained ground on the most famous catwalks along with the nutrition trends such as the organic one spread throughout more and more countries. The internet and the international social networks allow a faster circulation of information and a wider distribution of tendencies.
The globalization occurs when countries, communities or cultures connect and exchange values, commodities, ideas or other cultural features. In the age of internet and speed, in which holidays are spent farther, friendships among cultures are a natural thing and information is getting easily from one place to another, the globalization is unavoidable. In such a globalized world, there should be a cultural mood for people to seek in case of a global crisis (ecological, economical or terrorist), so that the differences between inside and outside would disappear and a cosmopolitan reality would become the key to survival.
For instance, one of the hot topics of the last years has been the “glocalization”. After a while of being open-minded to innovation, which happens in Romania too, prizing one’s own local culture has come next in order. This is why, after absorbing the new trends, they have been adapted to the local rules and customs. In gastronomy, the word “Locavore” (which refers to someone who tries out local flavors and savors) has appeared in 2015 and it is still being used. Moreover, there occurs the hyper-local movement, which means that it is not enough to taste the traditional dishes of a country, but also those of a region, such as the Adana kebab or the Halkidiki oregano.
The authenticity, the products, the customs and the genuine experiences are being given more and more appreciation, phenomenon which influences not only the above mentioned areas, but also the tourism. People value individuality and, consequently, they are willing to encourage that particular culture through financial investments, on a cultural level or by promoting it. The tourism in Saxon houses, Macedonian cuisine or Turkish ingredients – the more they are facilitated, the more members of that specific community tend to keep and respect them, as they will prove their value, regardless of the cultural minority or majority.
No matter how fascinating is the power of the innovation, treasuring the values and the culture in which one was brought up will prevail. This is why ANBPR along with its partners has started the “Digital Storytelling” project whose aim is to record the stories of the local communities found in four counties: Cluj, Braila, Sibiu and Bucharest. Thus, the public libraries aim to enforce the collective memory and to draw the attention to the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups in the Romanian culture. Members of different ethnic groups are encouraged to go to the library and, with the aid of the librarian, to share with a large audience the story of their community, of their family or even of their own, in order to enhance the local pride.
You can subscribe to such stories on the Facebook page of the project: https://www.facebook.com/agoraculturala
Agora Culturală @ Biblioteca Ta is a project implemented by ANBPR in affiliation with Jazzmontor AS Norvegia and REPLIKA Cultural Association, financed through the SEE 2009-2014 Grants, the PA17/RO13 Programme “The Promotion of diversity of culture and art within the European heritage” (www.fonduri-diversitate.ro) in Romania.
