‘Living Cultural Storybases’: Self-empowering narratives for minority cultures

Half the planet’s languages and cultures are held by 5 \% of its population- the 370M indigenous peoples- the most marginalized, fractured and least represented. For every group dispossessed, urbanized or assimilated, a culture vanishes taking with it ancient knowledge of the environment, unique ways of living, alternative belief systems, irreplaceable skills, artistry and stories- the rich diversity of humanity. The digital revolution, rather than creating a “global village”, accelerates this worldwide cultural demise. ICT access is scant and inappropriate for indigenous people, while content is dominated by the languages, interests and ideologies of the largest economic blocks. We argue here that these same technologies causing the “digital divide ” could nurture indigenous languages and cultures. Until now ICT initiatives have addressed immediate developmental needs, rarely even acknowledging minority languages or traditions. ‘Living Cultural Storybases ’ (LCS) seeks to go further: facilitating appropriate, two-way access for all community members to gather and share cultural knowledge through spoken stories. We propose community-controlled ‘Virtual Cultural Networks ’ (VCNs): cultural intranets supporting role-based access, secure distributed communications and private cultural resources. LCS promotes natural and respectful interfaces for indigenous peoples ’ interaction with their oral tradition around a co-designed database core that reflects the culture, inviting further contributions and stimulating internal social debate. We hope to reconnect dispersed communities and urban members of minority cultures to embrace, grow and re-interpret their traditional narratives, strengthening their cultural identity across the generations. Aspirations for the future may lie with the young, but the old are the custodians of their proud heritage.