The fact/news that Leeuwarden is one of the two Cultural Capitals of Europe in 2018 has been hard to miss, especially so if you live in Fryslân. When such a large event is brought to a place, some justification is needed as to why thís city in particular is the right one for the event, and why thís particular event fits so perfectly into the local culture. The campaign that preceded Leeuwarden gaining the honor of the title of Cultural Capital has been a large and costly one, and such a PR campaign can give some interesting insights into the world of commercialization of cultural heritage and history. On the website of Cultural Capital Leeuwarden you can find statements such as “since the dawn of time, the people of Frisia had to work together to achieve their goals. Just look at the Middle Ages, when the Frisian Freedom accomplished that the Frisians did not serve under the rule of any lord. Or look at 1815, when the Netherlands became a kingdom, but with two official languages.” Or more vague statements such as “...while maintaining our own identity, the Frisians have become part of the modern world.” and “The Frisians find creative power in contrast’’. At first glance most Frisians reading such statements would probably nod in agreement. But when examined more closely, questions arise. Why pick these specific historic events? And do things that happened hundreds of years ago really represent the Frisian culture in this day and age?
Another question that comes to mind, is whether it is even possible for cultural groups to hold on to such historic events which belong to their heritage. According to Pierre Nora, cultural groups have lost the connection with their heritage because there are no longer real environments of memory, which he refers to as milieux de mémoire. These so called milieux de mémoire have been replaced with lieux de mémoire, sites of memory (Nora, 1989). The current exhibition about Mata Hari in the Fries Museum is a great example of a lieux de mémoire in the Frisian case. But the ‘Fries verzetsmuseum’ and the ‘Elfstedentocht’ are good examples of sites of memory as well. These lieux de mémoire are created by people to retain their cultural history. As a result, history is being reconstructed and therefore it appears to be a construction of the true memory of a culture. However, this does not mean that this construction cannot be a true representation of one’s culture. Perhaps it is good for a cultural group to rethink and reconstruct their cultural heritage and history in order to fully understand what their culture means. Leeuwarden being the Cultural Capital of Europe gives the Frisians as a minority group an opportunity to rethink their own culture and it might help them understand what it is means to be Frisian.
The main aim of the Cultural Capital is promoting the culture of the city and region that is given the title. For many Frisians, the local sports are of significance in expressing their culture. Fryslân delivers a lot of great athletes in many disciplines, but the main sports for the Frisians are ‘keatsen’, ‘fierljeppen’ and ice skating. Although, the latter is not an exclusively Frisian sport, ice skating is a frequently practiced sport in the province. Especially, with the great succes of Frisian athletes in the Olympics, such as Sven Kramer or Sjinkie Knegt, or the still long-awaited Elfstedentocht. Keatsen and fierljeppen are sports that are mainly and exclusively practiced in Fryslân and a mystery to most non-Frisians. This is what makes the sports an example of the Frisian heritage, its exclusive nature (Lowenthal, 1998).
But, to what extent will being Cultural Capital influence the Frisian identity? Will this celebration of lieux de mémoires cause a stronger feeling of Frisian-ness, in other words, following one of the key points in the campaign, provide more mienskip.
Sources:
Lowenthal, David. The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Nora, Pierre. “Between Memory and History.” Representations, no. 26 (1989): 7-24.
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I really like your focus on Friesland as a localised minority example to which we can apply cultural heritage concepts! Good idea! I would like to comment on the question you posed at the end of your post, about the influence of the Cultural Capital 2018 campaign on Leeuwarden/Frisian identity. I personally think it is a good and bad thing at the same time. It can be good, for it gives the Frisians an opportunity to communicate their cultural heritage to a much wider audience, which can be beneficial for establishing lieux de mémoire is other peoples' memories too, thereby spreading Frisian chances of being remembered and passed on, in some ways. Yet, I also think this exact phenomena can negatively impact cultural identity. Due to it being spread to more and more people, the heritage becomes (in a puritan sense) simplified and centralised on a small selection of heritage sites or practices. In the text you gave the examples of sports and the historical events listed on the Cultural Capital site. In a way it is inevitable, of course, that this happens, but I think an event like this speeds up the process of creating a more simplified and focused cultural identity, by excluding a lot of the complexities living culture, or milieux de mémoire, enjoy.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen(T.F.M. B.)
Interesting read! I think the Frisian identity is manifested through rather strong sentiments among Frisians already, however that may be my Groninger prejudice. The fact that Leeuwarden is the Cultural Capital this year will probably influence Frisian identity to a small extent. From my point of view, identity is something rather 'solid', therefore this relatively short period of celebrating Leeuwarden and Friesland will not completely alter it.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenPredominantly I think that Leeuwarden Cultural Capital will enhance Frisian pride. While this can appear through stronger feelings of mienskip, I feel like this term is too focused on 'exclusive community', limited to the borders of Friesland. I can imagine that Leeuwarden Cultural Capital will rather have a significant effect on how Frisians feel about their identity in relation to its (re)presentation to the outside world. The realisation, which a number of Frisians may not have yet, that for example Mata Hari was also Frisian or any other lieu de mémoire serving as an eye-opener to the richness of what Friesland entails, can evoke a stronger sense of Frisian pride. This in turn may lead to Frisians being proud of where they come from and proud to be a part of this manifestation of cultural events.
A.D.
Thanks for a nice blog!!! I am strongly convinced that through the Cultural Capital events more people will discover Frisian culture and it will become more open to the outer world. In regard of this, more researches may be conducted on the topic as well as more unpublished ones may be published. Whether it is time or not to think on your identity, I would say that one might think over their identity without any specific time connections. I suppose that the 2018 events will bring more practical issues related to Frisian identity than theoretical ones. For sure, there might be people who would chose this year as a chance to develop their "Frisianness" or to research their Frisian roots. However, theese may not become the main issue.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenM. D.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenGood post!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI think being the cultural capital will be beneficial to Friesland in many ways. From an outsider's point of view, Friesland is quite unknown outside of (north) mainland Europe; by spreading awareness Friesland and its culture will gain more attention from the rest of Europe.