Ana Escobedo, the creator of the Save Kashgar Facebook cause page (link on the right) as well as the Save Kashgar online petition (link also at the right), has offered this statement as to why she feels so strongly about trying to raise awareness about the destruction of intangible cultural heritage:
“The destruction of Kashgar is more than just the demolition of a city; it is a conscious obliteration of a rich history and a living memory, both of which could disappear unless we become more aware of our loss.
By razing these buildings the world has lost incredible amounts of knowledge that could have been gleaned from these sites. Most importantly, the Uighur culture is being destroyed through this demolition. The culture is tied to these buildings, embedded in the walls behind their beautifully hand-carved poplar doors.
These buildings hold the key to the how these people lead their daily lives, how they have been living their daily lives for centuries. These buildings hold their identity and their traditions. As they move into their modern apartments provided by the government, the question still remains: how does one inherit an apartment?
When I heard about the crisis in Kashgar I felt a need to speak out about this destruction of intangible cultural heritage and the cultural genocide of a people. I turned to Facebook to create a Cause page so that I could rally people to speak out for this tragedy. Please join this Cause group at: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/291898?m=81fdef5b , or sign the petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/silkroad/petition.html. Although we may not be able to save Kashgar from destruction, we can at least let it serve as an example for the future in the hopes that a tragedy like this will never happen again.”
Kudos, Ana.
– Chiarch
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