A Cultural Preservation Advocate’s Point of View

Around the world, many communities are working hard to preserve their languages, traditions, and cultural identities. While cultural exchange can bring people together, some individuals worry that globalization may weaken local cultures and traditions.


The following perspective is fictional, but it is informed by the following sources: 

Source 1

UNESCO: Intangible Cultural Heritage

APA: UNESCO. (n.d.). Intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://ich.unesco.org/en/home

Source 2

Cultural Survival

APA: Cultural Survival. (n.d.). Our mission. Cultural Survival. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://www.culturalsurvival.org/about



My name is Sarah, and I work to preserve the cultural traditions of my Indigenous community in Canada.

I believe that learning about other cultures is valuable. Understanding different perspectives can help reduce prejudice and encourage cooperation between people. However, I also believe that there can be risks when societies focus too heavily on blending cultures together.

In my community, many elders work hard to preserve our traditional language, stories, and ceremonies. For many years, these traditions were at risk of being lost because younger generations were encouraged to adopt mainstream culture instead. Today, we organize language classes and cultural events to help keep these traditions alive.

Because of this experience, I sometimes worry when people suggest that all differences should be minimized. Differences are not always problems that need to be solved. In many cases, they are valuable parts of our identities. If unique languages, customs, and traditions disappear, the world may become less diverse and future generations may lose an important connection to their history.

From my perspective, peace does not require everyone to become the same. Instead, peace requires mutual respect. People should learn about other cultures while also protecting and appreciating their own. In this way, cultural exchange and cultural preservation can exist together.

I believe that understanding differences can contribute to a more peaceful world, but only if we remember that diversity is something worth preserving, not something that should disappear.

What do you think? Is it possible to encourage understanding between cultures while still protecting unique cultural identities?

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