St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Abstract

The survival of a people depends, to a large degree, on the protection of its heritage. Without some recognition of a culture's values and belief systems, and the conscious nurturing and husbanding of such sentiments, that culture tends to lose its relevance and soon dies. In recent decades indigenous cultures have come under tremendous pressure from economic liberalism or globalization. Western consumerism touches not only our material life but also our cultural and spiritual well-being, and it is within this context that we must measure our chances for cultural survival.