One of the many problems with developing countries is there losing of traditional knowledge. I think that a charity could be done where people in these developing countries can be set up as teachers of traditional skills of their country. The charity would give them a salary for their service so then there would be people learning skills that can help them in later life to get ahead, they would be preserving their culture and the teachers would be moving ahead as well by getting paid and being able to pass along their skills to the next generation. To do this you would either have to make the whole charity build up a alliance of supporters to give consistent donations in order to keep paying the teachers.
-- shakeandbake, Jan 18 2008

Isn't this how we got all those madrassas?
-- DrCurry, Jan 18 2008


Who would contribute to this charity? Citizens of 3rd-world countries probably have more immediate uses for their money; if it's sponsored by wealthy nations, aren't we open to accusations of trying to 'museumize' a culture which we've largely abandoned ourselves?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 18 2008


Excuse me if this sounds completely ignorant but what do you mean by 'museumize'?
-- shakeandbake, Jan 18 2008


That's an excellent question, and one which I intend to ask myself as soon as I get back. In the meantime, I would guess that it means "to turn into a museum" (as in encouraging other cultures to preserve their traditional skills because we value their quaintness more than the culture values their utility).
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 18 2008


Fiscally the contributors would not be citizens of the country unless of coarse there was a wealthy donor. I now see what you mean as far as being accused of trying to muesumize it. There very well might be accusations made but the philosophy would be one only to help that country preserve their culture for their own values not for the wealthy nations abuse.
-- shakeandbake, Jan 18 2008



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