It is cliché to say that culture portrays the identity of an individual, group, and society. Cultures begin at home and develop overtime. However, the possibility of cultural change is inevitable as we involve ourselves with other groups, institutions, environment, and social communities. The changes in culture are manifested due to modern technologies as a necessary need to the globalization of our society. The implication of these changes would also lead to the change in portraying such culture in the organization of performing and theatrical arts. The international performances on culture and arts would help ethnic groups to introduce such culture worldwide. However, to what limit should stage performances have in presenting such particular groups on the stage of arts and advertisements?
The fashion industry has been kicking off these days wherein organizers introduce new styles and modern taste of fashion trends that have cultural touch on them. In order for these industries to be successful in their business goals, some of their strategies are through modelling and stage performances – portraying the different practices, lifestyle, and fashion of particular ethnic groups. The big question now is that, to what aspect should industries limit themselves in terms of portraying culture in their business practices? Do business organizations have the right to totally alter the traditional elements of culture of such ethnic groups in their advertisement, or to modernize the traditional fashion of these groups for that matter?
Business organizations have the responsibility to respect and value the elements that are included in particular culture, hence, inappropriate presentations depicting traditional practices, lifestyle, or fashion of such ethnic groups must be seriously analyzed, since indigenous peoples might be demoralized by an insensitive portrayal of cultural practi-ces. More often than not, whether the presentations depict an altered representation of cultural elements of such ethnic groups, some fashion organizers would actually lean on the concept of contemporary arts as their scapegoat. Such excuse would make indigenous peoples think and question the limit of contemporary arts.
In the sense of global cultural competitiveness, the different cultural practices and traditions of various ethnic groups in the country has actually caught the attention of many organizers around the globe through stage performances. However, contrary to the actual performances of the country’s representatives on international performing arts, social media is one of the mediums which can be used to introduce our unique culture in the international community. Through the wide range of these platforms, many are able to critique, argue, appreciate, debate on issues regarding a portrayed cultural performances. Netizens are able to join meaningful discussions on different issues regarding such cultural presentations.
Indeed, the language of arts give meaningful representations of a society of their culture, and it is the medium of communication for artists and performers, including some of the business industries. However, arts would also be a medium of destruction of one’s cultural identity and practices, when the concept and the elements of arts have no limit.
