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 On the downside, cultural identification can be so strong that people become withdrawn and critical of people from different cultural backgrounds.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.
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