on Culture & Development - Seameo-SPAFA

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○acquainted with the ongoing developmentalstrategies taking place. As another participantconcluded:“Culture is part and parcel of development and viceversa and the process is crucial to ensure increasedsustainability of programmes”This simply sums up that culture is an integral partof development. Failure to recognize this andrespond accordingly will lead to the trauma, loss,and social disconnectedness that Wolfensohn refersto. And thus the development project will not besustainable.Margaret Mead, the anthropologist, once said:131“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfulcommitted citizens can change the world; indeedit’s the only thing that does”.Participants to the workshops, by far and large,expressed such a view and by the end of Day 5 feltenergized and optimistic. However, the prevailingconcern that changes in attitudes and perspectiveswas needed at the ‘top’ remained. ‘Top-down’directives alone do not work but likewise ‘bottomup’initiatives in isolation can not attain the desiredoutcomes. It’s a question of getting everyone onboard. This in itself is not easy. And this is becausewe need to get the donors, implementers/projectmanagers, and ‘end beneficiaries’ together. In fact,at some of the workshops we did manage to haveparticipation from some of the major players in thedevelopment world. More of a problem was beingable to interest ‘end-beneficiaries’ to join. Usually