On the other hand, there may cause a conflict when majority want all minorities to assimilate. It is of course clear that the minor cultures living in the country should accept their position but never forget who are they keeping original believes as well as major should not discriminate cultural rights of minors.
However, one should look at history events because it gives the key why two or more nations fighting for one territory and why majority and minorities think particular land to be originally theirs.
Herodotus affirms that “If anyone, no matter who, were given the opportunity of choosing from amongst all the nations in the world to set of benefits which he thought best, he would inevitably, after careful consideration of their relative merits, choose that of his own country. Everyone without exception believes his native customs, and the religion he was bought up in, to be the best”
Language is very important for national identity. It is part of culture. On the one hand, it is difficult to communicate when people do not know common language but on the other hand, it is the breach of cultural rights to refuse giving citizenship only because people have different culture and language from majorities although there are several generations living in the state. This example is about Estonia where 25.7% belong to Russian-speaking linguistic minority. Amnesty International reports that they enjoy very limited linguistic and minority rights, and often find themselves de facto excluded from the labour market and educational system. 10% of population are stateless in Estonia means they do no have voting right and until recent time must have visa to go abroad.
Still people, not citizens, would like to become citizens but there are obstacles for example language exam or if person military man in USSR it is denied to get a citizenship.
Another problem is education. On the one hand, it is clear that Estonia as an independent, sovereign country has own laws that must be obeyed. Therefore, by constitution, Estonian is sate language. Nevertheless, there are schools with teaching in Russian. There are also forms with Estonian teaching in which Russian children are taught in Estonian. The problem is children usually speaking in their mother tongue at home but at school, they learn reading and writing from second form. As the result, children do not know neither good Estonian, because in primary school the lessons are like a game, nor Russian unless parents make efforts.
As the teaches are Estonians, there is difference in culture and event interptitations, especially at history lessons. It could be heard that Russians who are living in the state are occupants and until Russians are living on this territory, the civil occupation will continue.
In spite of this, Russian parents choose Estonian schools for their children. It is done because only then children can have better life in Estonia. The problem here is that children assimilate and loose connection with the customs of family. They even cannot express thoughts in native language. Possibly marry Estonian girl or boy.
There is no conflict between citizenship and cultural rights because there are statements in constitution that confirm the right of all people for cultural and moral rights:
“All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour… national or social origin… or other status.”
Cultural values are intimately related to our sense of identity. The aims of every culture are to challenge for each as a person the values that are closest to our hearts. Then people could understand themselves and the world. As the result of not understanding and the most important of not willing of understanding what is valuable for one or another nation generate strong emotional splash and hatred to each other’s culture.
This article is based on Chapter One of the CPD handbook . 2006 Publisher: Edited by Ted Huddleston & David Kerr
See, notably Article 17 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which states: “Indigenous Peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages…”.
See notably Article 15 of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A more “comprehensive” listing developed by a researcher in a paper prepared for UNESCO in 1996,
outlines 50 cultural rights categorised into eleven areas: “Rights to physical and cultural survival, Rights to association and identification with cultural community, Rights to and respect for cultural identity, Rights to physical and intangible heritages, Rights to religious belief and practice, Rights to freedom of opinion, expression and information, Rights to choice of education and training, Rights to participate in the elaboration of cultural policies, Rights to participate in cultural life and create, Rights to choice of endogenous development, and Rights to people’s own physical and cultural environment”, cited in Nieć,
1998: 184. Culture and development are also linked in the 2005 Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, notably in Article 13 on “Integration of culture in
sustainable development” and in Article 14 entitled “Cooperation for development”.
Herodotus (2004) ‘Morality as Custom’, in, Christina Sommers and Fred Sommers (eds.) Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life: Introductory Readings In Ethics, London, Wadsworth, Sixth edition. First written aprox 440 BCE. p158
Amnesty international: Estonia: Linguistic minorities in Estonia: Discrimination must end 7 December 2006
Yearbook 2006, Estonian Citizenship and Migration Board, Tallinn.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 26
