Smithsonian - Perishable Pundit

[ii]The food concession for the Mela at the 1985 Festival increased the popularity of Indian cuisine in theWashington, DC, metropolitan area and led to many restaurants, among them Bombay Bistro andIndique, which are directly operated by personnel associated with the 1985 program.crafts oftradition.il artisans and also aided manySouthern potteries, like Jugtown, to gam renewedand expanded commercial viability. As Festivaldirector, Rmzler would rent a truck, pick upcrafts from Appalachia, sell them on the Mall, andreturn money and respect to regional craftspeople.We continue this practice at the Festival,selling participants' crafts in our Marketplace ata very low mark-up. The idea is to encouragecraftsmanship by having audiences recognizeit as financially valuable. It is also why weDeveloping Commerce for CultureThe role of commerce m safeguarding diversecultural traditions is increasingly recognizedaround the world, particularly giventhe ascent ofwhat might be termed the"cultural economy."UNESCO, the UnitedNations Educational. Scientific, and CulturalOrganization, is currently developing a newinternational treaty on the topic tor considerationby its General Assembly in October 200s.The draft convention addresses the issue ofencourage musicians to selltheir recordings,cultural survival inthe face of globalizationcooks to sell their cookbooks, and so on. And itiswhy we select restaurateurs or caterers fromthe communities featured at the Festival tooperate food concessions and serve a culturallyappropriate menu. We are fostering exposureand knowledge for an important aspect ofculture, and also supporting the continuity ofpractice for those who carry these traditions.Itrecognizes the immense commercial value ofcultural products of varied types—from songsto books, from fashion motifs to films. Amongthe many positive provisions to encouragea diversity of cultural activity, it would alsoallow nations to make policies to restrict theln-flow of cultural goods and services thatmight jeopardize their own threatened orSMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL