10 July 2008
Bhutan, Others Come to Washington for Folklife Festival
Smithsonian Institution prompts discussion of diversity
Washington -- Some boots are made for cowboys, others for astronauts to walk on the moon, and still others are a colorful part of traditional Bhutanese dress -- and this year they all helped kick off America's largest annual cultural heritage festival.
Central to the celebration June 25-July 6 was a focus on the traditions of the kingdom of Bhutan, the state of Texas and the 50th anniversary of NASA and the U.S. space program. As always, the 42nd annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival spread its tents on the National Mall, a grassy expanse between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Richard Kennedy, acting director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, said in an interview that the festival educates visitors, raises cultural awareness and prompts discussion about identity.
“In the last 10 years, I’ve really seen … people become proud of their diversity and want to show that here, and that’s a really pleasant change that’s taking place around the world,” Kennedy said.
Bhutan’s diversity was represented by the more than 100 craftspeople, artists, cooks, dancers, regional experts and Buddhist monks who traveled to America's front yard to offer a glimpse of Bhutanese daily life. Artisans demonstrated Bhutan's 13 traditional arts, or zorig chusum; among them were weavers and needle workers who integrate intricate patterns into their textiles, and sculptors, painters and carvers who create artworks for monasteries, temples and Bhutanese homes.
There were also traditional Bhutanese costumes, music and monastic dancers performing ritual masked dances, plus food booths where people could sample ema datsi, Bhutan's national dish of chilies and yak cheese.
In an adjacent section of the festival were exhibits featuring the experts and astronauts of NASA and the dancers, winemakers and musicians of Texas. Food at the Texas booths featured lots of barbeque plus tacos, noodles and other favorites reflecting the state’s Mexican and Vietnamese cultures. Texas music ranged from soul to country to Tejano, a Mexican-American music punctuated by the accordion.
The Smithsonian Institution encourages participating parties to include themes of identity and inclusive representation of minorities for their festival exhibits, Kennedy said.
“The festival is a friend of diversity, and certainly it’s a friend of democracy, in the sense that we want people to have a voice. This festival is all about giving people a voice, whatever that voice may be,” he said.
Many of those voices were heard at the June 25 opening ceremony, where the governor of Texas, the deputy administrator of NASA and Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck of Bhutan spoke.
“Some suggest that globalization leads to a bland world. We in Bhutan do not see this as inevitability, we see it as a challenge,” the prince said in his address.
Monks from Bhutan built a Bhutanese temple as a "gift of friendship" for the American people. The temple ultimately will be given to the city of El Paso, Texas.
Though economists long have used the gross domestic product, or GDP, of a nation to measure its success, Bhutan’s unique holistic approach shifts the focus. Its national policy emphasizes the pursuit of “gross national happiness,” which comprises four pillars -- economic self-reliance, environmental preservation, cultural promotion and good governance.
While a gross national happiness policy may sound foreign to citizens of nations like America, the prince explained that its ideals are cross-cultural.
“Together, we share common values of liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness. These values are significant in the lives of our people and they are the foundation on which our development philosophy is built,” he said.
In March, the previously monarchist Bhutan held its first election as a parliamentary democracy.
