Monday, March 22, 2010
Reflections on the Road
Okay, I don't have a lot of time to develop this currently but through my driving adventures in the Southwest, there is one thing that I cannot help but be overwhelmed by, casinos.
Really, every exit seemed to have one from a different native group in both New Mexico and Arizona.
Will little else to fill by time, the mind started to wonder. Why? Why is that the predominate interaction most of us non-natives have with their culture is through the form of our entertainment? Though my knowledge of the region of the states is limited, I do know some of the struggles that the Native American communities have had.
The casinos show me how much we use them for our benefit. And honestly, they will continue because we have reduced them to it. Meaning that this has become their strongest economic ties. What would happen to these communities if they didn't have this income?
I cannot help but see the similar stories echoing throughout the world. Although we are past the colonial times, the repercussions are very evident today. Western societies this use and very much control other nationals and people through the economy.
Thus, the fill the role that we want them to. We want coffee, cocoa and entertainment. To live and be at all economically stable, many groups around the world have fell in line with this idea instead of resisting and facing greater hardships.
Okay, am I off my rocker? Does this make any sense or is it the outcome of a weary traveler?
I am not sure but I cannot help but see the parallels in Africa and Ivory Coast similar to the actions of Native Americans here.
Really, every exit seemed to have one from a different native group in both New Mexico and Arizona.
Will little else to fill by time, the mind started to wonder. Why? Why is that the predominate interaction most of us non-natives have with their culture is through the form of our entertainment? Though my knowledge of the region of the states is limited, I do know some of the struggles that the Native American communities have had.
The casinos show me how much we use them for our benefit. And honestly, they will continue because we have reduced them to it. Meaning that this has become their strongest economic ties. What would happen to these communities if they didn't have this income?
I cannot help but see the similar stories echoing throughout the world. Although we are past the colonial times, the repercussions are very evident today. Western societies this use and very much control other nationals and people through the economy.
Thus, the fill the role that we want them to. We want coffee, cocoa and entertainment. To live and be at all economically stable, many groups around the world have fell in line with this idea instead of resisting and facing greater hardships.
Okay, am I off my rocker? Does this make any sense or is it the outcome of a weary traveler?
I am not sure but I cannot help but see the parallels in Africa and Ivory Coast similar to the actions of Native Americans here.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Exciting Initiative for West Africa
Some of my new friends have lead me to this event that is taking place this summer.
It is a pan-African Barcamp.
"This inaugural event will bring together people from across Africa in order to share ideas, inspiration and knowledge that cross linguistic and ideological boundaries."
What kind of content will come out of this?
It is headed up by locals (especially Jean-Patrick Ehouman, founder of Akenewa) to jump start technology outreach in the region
It is a pan-African Barcamp.
"This inaugural event will bring together people from across Africa in order to share ideas, inspiration and knowledge that cross linguistic and ideological boundaries."
What kind of content will come out of this?
It is headed up by locals (especially Jean-Patrick Ehouman, founder of Akenewa) to jump start technology outreach in the region
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
They are trying
Sierra Leone is getting cameras in their hands.
But why do we not see this penetrating the global line of sight? What does it take to get grassroot videos and first hand accounts where the world can see it?
But why do we not see this penetrating the global line of sight? What does it take to get grassroot videos and first hand accounts where the world can see it?
The Video Request
Here is a quick vlog (my first) exploring some of the ideas mention in the previous post.
On the path...
Okay, so I know it has been a while. Bad me, I am sorry!
Here is where I am at:
Historically, we have imposed the "Western gaze" onto the entire continent of Africa. Mainly do to our imperialism endeavors, we took the images that looked appealing to us (open, untouched landscapes rich with wildlife) and the things that horrified us (fighting, sex, and overall savageness) and slapped that label on the whole encompassing continent.
Starting in the maps of old, ideas of danger and adventure penetrated our thoughts and percolated our understanding. This showed our representation of a rather "dark" and unknown portion of the world. As technology changed, so did the ways of expressing the exact same message. Now it took on the shape of media. Through newspapers, magazines, TV and even textbooks, the stereotypical Africa remains. Desperate to maintain dominance, we assign roles that we expect these culture groups to play. In this, we fill in the gaps of our understanding with what generalizations have come to us for former generations. This manifests itself in civil wars and political unrest, disease and AIDS, animals and sports.
Where does this leave us now? A quick search of African content on Youtube and we find that these stereotypes are still evident even on a new platform. Most videos include some form of entertainment, mainly soccer or music videos. Is this all that happens on the continent? Or have they tailored their presence to what we expect to see, want to see and will watch? Is the only way an Africa will get seen is to play into a Western audience?
Here is a site that shows where the most watched videos are coming from.
http://geobestofyoutube.gmapify.fr/
Not a single Africa country makes the cut. Why is this? Does an entire continent have nothing to say?
What do you have to say?
Here is where I am at:
Historically, we have imposed the "Western gaze" onto the entire continent of Africa. Mainly do to our imperialism endeavors, we took the images that looked appealing to us (open, untouched landscapes rich with wildlife) and the things that horrified us (fighting, sex, and overall savageness) and slapped that label on the whole encompassing continent.
Starting in the maps of old, ideas of danger and adventure penetrated our thoughts and percolated our understanding. This showed our representation of a rather "dark" and unknown portion of the world. As technology changed, so did the ways of expressing the exact same message. Now it took on the shape of media. Through newspapers, magazines, TV and even textbooks, the stereotypical Africa remains. Desperate to maintain dominance, we assign roles that we expect these culture groups to play. In this, we fill in the gaps of our understanding with what generalizations have come to us for former generations. This manifests itself in civil wars and political unrest, disease and AIDS, animals and sports.
Where does this leave us now? A quick search of African content on Youtube and we find that these stereotypes are still evident even on a new platform. Most videos include some form of entertainment, mainly soccer or music videos. Is this all that happens on the continent? Or have they tailored their presence to what we expect to see, want to see and will watch? Is the only way an Africa will get seen is to play into a Western audience?
Here is a site that shows where the most watched videos are coming from.
http://geobestofyoutube.gmapify.fr/
Not a single Africa country makes the cut. Why is this? Does an entire continent have nothing to say?
What do you have to say?
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