A few last words..

This blog is a summary of what I have learnt during this module through time spent in seminars and through further research. I have learnt about the value of culture and how important it is in the world today. I have also come to accept that ‘culture’ can never really hold a dictionary definition; it is far too concentrated, intricate and of course highly complex. The word culture means different things to different people so trying to define it inevitably causes confusion. I think culture is a word that can be interpreted differently by each individual and we should embrace in this concept.

Culture is something that people use to classify themselves; it is a way for people to feel united by having a shared sense of self. Everyone enjoys feeling a part of something and culture definitely does just that. So many questions in life are left unanswered and many people feel a lack of purpose, this is why I believe culture is so significant because it gives us a sense of unity, security and belonging. On the downside, cultural identification can be so strong that people become withdrawn and critical of people from different cultural backgrounds. I experienced and wrote about the cultural divide that is so clearly present in South Africa in my previous blogs. Another somewhat negative aspect of culture is when people enforce rules upon others without allowing them freedom of expression.  For example people born into family’s that have strong religious views (Muslim) or self-harming rituals (Khosia)

I think my cultural studies have given me a chance to reflect on my cultural identity, I have a white (Kenyan) father and a Ethiopian (black) mother however I wouldn’t describe myself being either one.  I have grown up in both countries and then moved to London during my most influenced years. I think I have adapted a somewhat flexible and unrestricted cultural identity whereby I try to understand my surroundings and find my ground wherever I am.

I think however hard people try to ‘define’ themselves we are all in a sense one. If we eliminate all the cultural and societal barriers we are essentially human beings sharing the same life experience. This is why I find it so hard to understand the mentality of prejudice people. Fortunately, I had the chance to live in South Africa for 5 years of my life, this experience gave me cultural understanding of the UK and SA. I wrote about my experience of South Africa in my blogs and gave very honest views on my experience.

I have also researched about technology and the effect it has on our world today, throughout my research I found that my opinions on the subject changed dramatically. I looked at different viewpoints and drew very different conclusions each time. I can now conclude that technology has changed our world for the better. It is more what people do with advanced technology that makes the difference. For example people can choose to make bombs for war or fly food to the starving nations. I think the problem is not technology, but the people in power.

In my most recent posts I spoke about the FIFA World Cup (2010) and the impact it had on South Africa, I also interviewed my friends about the event. This research allowed me to see how the events and media industry can have a huge impact on economy, culture and society as a whole. It also helped me understand the importance of cultural studies within the events industry. It is important to have a general understanding of culture because we as event managers are dealing with different people on a daily basis therefore it is important to respect and understand the meaning of culture.

I can draw a direct link throughout my blogs and this is that all of the subjects discussed have in some way an influence on each other. Events, Culture, Technology and Media are all reliant on each other and my research has allowed me to understand this.

The Venus Project

http://youtu.be/PIMy0QBSQWo?hd=1

Available at: http://bipolarx.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/the-venus-project.jpg Accessed on 04.01.2012


The Venus Project is founded by Jacque Fresco who is a futurist, inventor and industrial designer. The project focuses on creating a self-sufficient society with the use of technology. The Venus project focuses on creating a world whereby human beings, technology and nature live and work together in harmony. This project also implies the elimination of the monetary system, it promises a world without poverty, debt and any other unnecessary human suffering.

When I first read about the Venus project I almost gave up mid-way because it sounded like another unrealistic dream. However, after conducting research and understanding the concepts I began to see that this project is most defiantly possible. Advancements in technology are allowing humans to do things that were once unimaginable.

Western culture forces us to believe that success and happiness will come from money; the advertising industry knows this and uses it to manipulate people by constantly project images of ‘happy’ consumers whereas we all know this is very un true. I think this type of view leads to a fundamentally unhappy society whereby people are focused on consuming as much as they can but feeling left unsatisfied.

I believe that the current state in western society is fundamentally a result of false endeavours, greed and delusional prospects. If we compare western society to societies whereby money isn’t culturally value we can clearly see the effect this outlook has had. Linking this to my previous blog, I think, people living in western societies use methods of escapism more than anywhere else in the world; this is due to the constant pressures of day to day life. This illusion that we have to be ‘doing something with our lives’ and that if you aren’t making money in a productive way you are a ‘failure’.  It is this exact outlook that drives people to escapism because they can’t face their everyday situation.

‘’The Venus Project recommends that the present state and aims of architecture be redefined to fit the evolving needs of individuals in this new, emergent culture.’’

The Venus Project is proposing a world that does not revolve around money and although it does sound Disney like, I think it is very possible.

See more at : http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology

Are we trapped in an escapist world of digital culture?

This blog is on my personal opinion of how technology can be used to escape from our everyday lives, my viewpoints are directed from a cynical point of view. Technology allows us to momentarily escape from our reality; it ultimately distracts us from being present in our daily lives. I don’t think it is a bad thing to want to escape from our norm and it is actually quite healthy for us to indulge in other ‘realities’ from time to time. But the problem arises when people use these additional realities to escape from their current situations and technology has provided the platform to do just that. Television, internet, video games and social media (to name the few) can all be used as a method of escapism – for example watching a movie to help take your mind off current situation.

We don't have in our culture a healthy understanding and respect for the value of Being, which is simply being present in the moment, not trying to go somewhere, not trying to accomplish anything but, just present. ~ Shakti Gawain ~

In this blog, I will be discussing escapism through the use of technology specifically by using social media. To be quite frank, I still can’t figure out why social media is still called SOCIAL because it clearly isn’t. In my opinion, using technology as a means to communicate is very convenient at specific times but in no way social. To me socialising is about connecting with people in real life, not through an electric void of ‘nothingness’. In modern society we can recognize the significant role technology (social media) has in our world, take a glance at the cafes that used to be social environments but are now full with people glued to their lap tops or I pads.

“We have invented inspiring and enhancing technologies, yet we have allowed them to diminish us.” Sherry Turkle

I agree with this quote in terms of what could happen if social media replaces our natural ability to communicate effectively with each other. When technology replaces people -we can see this happening already for example operators/self-checkouts etc.

I would prefer not to sound hypocritical because I do in fact use social media however I am very aware of its effects on myself and surrounding.  I value personal connections to people way more than I do the virtual, in my view; social media is full of misconceptions and in some cases false projections of one’s identity. I also think that messages sent through social media are far less valuable, I would appreciate a letter sent from a close friend instead of a casual Facebook ‘poke’. The whole theory behind social media is this feeling of being ‘connected’ but for me it has the opposite effect. Yes it is nice to communicate with people irrespective of time and place but I feel far more rewarded interacting with people in everyday life.

Technology and Education

Advancements in technology in the education sector can be seen as an achievement or in fact a remedy for disaster, this outlook differs depending on the institution. Educators consider that the operational use of technology (methods for research/communication) effective in the learning environment. However they also think that the use of social media and digital gaming (to name the few) are futile and time consuming. The main concern for institutions is how to get students to make constructive use of technology. I have conducted research to show that technology can be positive or negative depending on how it is used. In this blog I will be analysing the effect of technology on the educational systems how and how technology can be used to enrich learning.

It seems that in modern times educational institutions are concerned with the increasing amount of social media and digital communication, educators want to stress the importance of text books and interactive learning. It is also a general view that digital gaming is non-constructive, senseless and maybe even a form of social escapism. However, through conducted research I can prove that this is not entirely true. I will also be showing how digital gaming can be used as an effective learning mechanism.

The well-known game CIVILIZATION has been highly touted by people working in the educational sector, Kurt Squire and folks at the games, learning and Society group have extensively written about this game and its powerful educational uses. They opposed that playing a game like CIVILISATION can aid in advancements in terminology, geographical awareness and historical understanding. The main goal of the game is for players to become the dominant surviving civilization; this is done by successfully building an empire by building their own civilisation around societal development and diplomacy. Games like this can increase the ability to process information through imagery and text simultaneously. It also aids in processing the information that is relevant to them whilst disregarding what is not. All of these skills can be used in everyday working life – for example, reading an email where minor detail can be extracted without having to read the whole thing.

Digital gaming usually involves creating a world in which players actively participate in; this enables people to create their own domain in which they use strategic thinking to make choices and solve complex problems- All in which can be used in everyday life. In my opinion, a game like CIVILISATION can be used to educate people in an engaging and entertaining context; young people are much more inclined to learn if they are guaranteed fun during the process – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t’ like to have fun? The society we live in seems to replace fun with endless conventions and tedious task. Why not get rid of boring factual text books and instead use digital games, practical engagement and social interactions to service the learning process.

Technology is opening up opportunities whereby educators can improve their teaching facilities and students may enrich their learning skills. Technology has released another realm where interaction is made possible regardless of our physical location; it has made information accessible to everyone. I think the educational systems should focus more on fun and less on compliance. There is this general view that young people should be conformed, however evidently this completely backfires on the system. Young people have a natural desire to explore and yet educational systems persistently attempt to regulate and monitor this aspiration by imposing rules and regulation. I think educational systems should learn respect and accommodate this desire for exploration by allowing new and more exciting methods of learning.  We all know that people work better in different environments, educational systems s should stop simplifying people for convenience sake, but rather learn to understand and cultivate this concept in order to ensure that everyone is equal and working to their full potential. 

Available at: http://www.civilization.com/ Accessed on 16.01.12
Images Available at:http://images.itreviews.com/www.itreviews.co.uk%2Fphotos%2FStrategyCivilization-5.jpg Accessed on 12.01.12

The Media

The Media Industry

The South African voice, culture and history are shown to us through the eyes of the media, but surely culture and history are the property of the each citizen? I believe that for the nation to be free, they must take ownership of their stories and share them themselves instead of allowing the media to take hold and manipulate these stories. If this were to happen, people would be active agents in how their image and history is represented.

The Media has generally been very critical of South Africa undoubtedly because of their historical past- it was simply a feast for the media. However, the media also has the power to shift the global view of South Africa into a more positive stance.

 History & Media, Available at: http://www.africanholocaust.net/ah_about.htm#media [Accessed on 27/11/11]

The events and media industry toil together, events get put on and the media speculates and broadcasts its happening. This is a win-win ordeal – the media gets news and the events gain publicity.  When looking at South Africa from a cultural perspective we can see how these industries have had a significant effect on how the world interprets South Africa, I am not only talking about sporting and leisure events but also the momentous political events. I am going to analyse and discuss how businesses in South Africa used the media industry  to change the worlds perceptions of South Africa by displaying the ‘’rainbowness’’ and apparent multiculturalism of the ‘new South Africa’ particularly during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The media happens to be a manipulative and powerful industry, sometimes its construal is not entirely correct and yet people tend to believe it solely without inquisition. This example shows how the media has used advertisements to expose a somewhat altered ‘reality’. The famous Castle Larger displayed an advert showing South Africans of different races enjoying the beer together, the tag line was ‘’One Beer One Nation’’ I think the underlying implication of this quote was that in the New South Africa, there was dual citizenship and people were now equal - hence the repetition of One, implying cohesion. Although this scenario was constitutionally true, I think it was culturally and realistically very different. Another example is the slogan for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) ‘Simunya – We are one’’ which also implies the same message of a united nation.

Political Event

June the 16^th marked a significant time in South African History – it was the day Sowetan schools protested against being taught in the Afrikaans language. It is now known as National Youth Day.

This photo of Hector Pieterson became an iconic of the 1976 Soweto uprising, the image became a symbol of struggle and confrontation towards the apartheid government; it was universally recognised and displayed a state of affairs that could not have been portrayed using words alone. This image shook the whole world. I am using this example to indicate how the media used one image to expose how corrupt the South African state was -this clearly demonstrates how effective the media industry can be.

Sporting Event

I was in South Africa during the build-up towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup; I noticed that the advertising industry had transformed its motives. They were now focusing on amplifying and representing the countries concord, I suppose this was their way of showcasing the transformation South Africa was undergoing and essentially inviting the world to witness. This example shows the media in a positive spectrum because it is in the media’s interest to set out a positive image of South Africa to the world, the industry wants to entice the potential FIFA World Cup spectators.

 In my view, the media should stop attempting to project this view of a rainbow nation whereby all cultures and races interact and live in harmony because it is not entirely correct. Yes we have seen a huge conversion in South Africa but this’ rainbowness’ is merely an illusion. I think people should embrace in their cultural differences and accept that race is a part of it. We should celebrate the countries liberation and the autonomy of individuals and their cultures. We should also come to terms with South Africa’s past in order to move forward and anticipate the future of South Africa.

 

Available at: Google books: Health communication in Southern Africa: engaging with social and cultural diversity. Edited by L. Lagerwerf, H. Boer, H. Wasserman, Chapter 6 [Accessed on 27/11/11]4

How the Media & Events industry can alter our perceptions

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was a significant time for South Africa; it was a time for the nation to showcase their ability to host such a largely domineering event, an event that the majority of the world will be watching. In this blog I will be discussing the use of the media industry in relation to this event. I will also be looking into how an event can have a significant impact on the cultural, social and economic factors.

How did a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world be elected to host the 2010 FIFA world cup? Surely they should have chosen a well-structured first world country? South Africa Averages 50 murder’s a day in a nation of 47 million. www.africanholocaust.net [Accessed on 17/11/11] It has also been ranked first in rapes and has a notorious record for car hijacking.

‘’We want, on behalf of our continent, to stage an event that will send ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo– an event that will create social and economic opportunities throughout Africa. We want to ensure that one day, historians will reflect upon the 2010 World Cup as a moment when Africa stood tall and resolutely turned the tide on centuries of poverty and conflict. We want to show that Africa’s time has come.’ Thabo Mbeki

This is a very bold statement made by Thabo Mbeki – South Africa’s former president, although his hopes did come true, the main question is – did they last?

This statistic shows the Local perspective on the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Research has shown that people have high expectations of the 2010 FIFA World

Cup™ (Pillay, 2006):

•           85% optimistic about job creation and economic growth;

•           33% expect to gain personally from 2010 FIFA World Cup;

•           78% expect black economic empowerment to improve;

•           75% believe that rundown parts of the locality in which they live will be upgraded

Many reports have stated that the FIFA World cup was a honeymoon period for South Africa, unsustainable and extremely fabricated. I have to agree and disagree with this assumption because although there has been a significant improvement in terms of economy and infrastructure I think the most important aspect is the shift in the global perception of South Africa.

‘’We have witnessed the explosion of national pride across all races and cultures," South African - President Jacob Zuma

This statement entails some true and false implications, there was certainly a burst of pride across the nation but how long did it last? I was in South Africa during the build up towards the event and I must say - the sense of euphoria was definitely in the atmosphere. I think the ‘explosion of pride’ happened between the subdivisions but not as a unifying whole.

Doesn’t he mean to say..

‘’We have witnessed an explosion of pride across races and cultures independently’’

What I am trying to imply here is that yes, the nation was filled with pride and enthusiasm but this did not fundamentally change the state of the nation. The economical, racial and cultural divide was still very much present and visitors would eventually come to acknowledge this.

The media projected a constant state of unification during the build-up period in order to entice the visitors. I was in South Africa during the time and I remember how the adverts had changed significantly and noticeably – showing a people of different cultures enjoying a product together. There was a constant reminder of ‘oneness’ which was so clearly exaggerated and only accurate in an idealistic reality.

South Africa is still undergoing amendment, as mentioned in previous blogs a political revolution is not enough to change a cultural discernment.The media’s forced attempt to re kindle the cultural fragments that were left behind is proving ineffective, in my opinion the solution is primarily acceptance in order to allow the moving forward process

This video was taken on the 18th of December 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The comments made in this video are all personal opinions
The following people have been interviewed: Jasmin Mieny, Natalie Mamela and Caitlin Smith
It was edited by myself on the 15th of January 2012

Many people undoubtedly questioned South Africa’s ability to host such a major event, being a third world country with a high crime rate and a toxic historical past. However the final success of this event proved nations wrong.

South Africa, Gateway to the Nation. Available at: http://www.southafrica.info/2010/hearts.htm [Accessed on 01/12/11]

The Power of Art

Apartheid Art

South Africa was a society divided into colonizer and native, white and non-white, citizen and subject, employed and indentured, free and slave. The result was a fragmented national identity symbolized and implemented by the white minority government's policy of racial separation.

Countries & their Cultures Available at: http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html [Accessed on 09/11/2011]

The subject of apartheid is a highly complex one; this was such a cruel and malicious time in history, a time where our inhumane dispositions really transpired. In my opinion, this was also a time that marked the ‘importance’ of culture, people felt so strongly attached to their culture which then resulted in them  enforcing rules to elude the possibility of cultural diversity. The white minority saw their culture as their identity and the thought of losing their identity was inconceivable, I will expand on this subject in later blogs.


The power of Art

Art became a vehicle for socio-political opinions; it was a way of transporting how the majority of people felt at this time, it was a way of liberating speech, and expressing culture - without anyone being directly persecuted. Everything that quantifies ones culture was snatched away from the oppressed people; they were fundamentally robbed of their identities, their beings, art gives us insight to this ordeal. To me, the beauty of art is that it can be interpreted differently by each individual; we are entitled our own opinion, this is significant in this time of coercion.

The Butcher Boys -Jane Alexandra

Available at: http://anarchistcoloringbook.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/the-butcher-boys/ [Accessed on 25/11/11]

This sculpture above was created by Jane Alexandra, a South African artist; she was seen as an artist that focused on portraying not only the political issues but the deep seated psychological difficulties South Africa faced. I studied her work and found this particular piece of work the most intensely moving, visually, I would say that it is very disturbing however intellectually I think it is ingenious. She creates life size sculptures so that when the viewer is confronted by this piece of art, they feel as though it is real. Alexander does a brilliant job in evoking emotions out of the viewer; even looking a picture of the sculpture gives me a sense of unease. The artwork represents the brutal dehumanizing reality of the apartheid era, the butcher boys look like animals - this represents the barbaric way people were treating each other at the time. Their mouths are forced closed; this resembles the absence of free expression of the oppressed people, the lifeless colour shows the intensity of their eradication from society, they are no longer human.

Jane Alexandra – Man with TV

This piece of art depicts the current situation in South Africa; the man represents the previously disadvantaged black man. The African man is given a suit which I take to be symbolic of authority but he is given little guidance. I get the feeling that he is rather misplaced in society, he doesn’t know what to do with his ‘power’ because he is only used to being powerless and immobilised. I can’t help but recognise that this ‘situation’ as a fairly current one. I spent 2months in Cape Town where I often saw this scenario, a black male in the city centre wearing a suit and tie but not quite fitting the role. I think it is because people find it very hard to break away from their demeaned sense of self. I don’t think giving someone a suit and a high paid job can really repair the inequalities of the past.

http://www.artthrob.co.za/01mar/images/alexander01a.jpg [Accessed on 25/11/11]




 

Gerard Sekoto: Song of the Pick

Gerark Sekoto became South Africa’s first black artists to have produced an artwork featured in a museum collection. The Johannesburg Art Gallery brought his ‘’Yellow Houses – Sophia town’’ in 1940. On the contrary, Sekoto had to pretend to be a cleaner in order to access the gallery and view the painting himself.

The art work represents slavery in South Africa, the alignment of the workers shows a loss of identification, they all look the same, there is no individuality and they are seen as merely labours. In the background we can see a white male who is telling them what to do; this clearly shows the white minority power. The scene created in this work of art is one in which I saw on a daily basis, what I found unusual was that everyone referred to their maids and workers as girl and boy. For example, garden boy or kitchen girl. When I first heard this I found is quite amusing and somewhat disconcerting, however once again over time I became accustomed to it. In my opinion, this artwork resembles the disillusionment of culture; it signifies an extensive loss of culture and individual expression.

http://myfundi.co.za/e/Gerard_Sekoto [Accessed on 09/11/11]

I think studying Jane Alexandra and Gerard Sekoto (to name the few) works allowed me to understand more about the apartheid era and its effects on South African culture. Art invited me into the core political dynamics that South Africa went through; this helped me understand the people and their culture. I studied art intensely for 4 years and I can say that without it, I would have had a reduced cultural understanding of South Africa.