Moving Away From Africans as Victims - Redefining "corruption" and "Inventing Popular Culture"
"Victims look at the cause, power players look at solutions."Although I think that John Storey’s outlook on globalization a bit “optimistic,” I can dig his solutions-oriented approach. Looking for the positive impacts globalization has on culture in the end, he sees globalization as an attempt to close the gaps created by the invention of popular culture by an elite intellectual group.
"The world is made up of many changing centers of power. Therefore cultural flows can no longer be understood as moving from the American imperial center to the colonial periphery." (115)
This read challenged me to look at African solutions to African problems from a changed position. Placing the African not as victim.
Mostly, I came up with a bunch of questions. But in a nutshell, in our group this last week and perhaps for our podcast, it may be beneficial for us to look at redefining corruption, and re-positioning our view of Africans not even as victims of colonization (there’s no arguing, they were). However in light of a more optimistic outlook on globalization, we can consider how this shift in our economy and our universe, can change the shape of the Continents future.
Then, from this position, what could possible solutions to corruption be? Also, if the African is not a victim of corruption, but merely a contributor to the global corruption, how do the possible solutions differ?
If there is not American imperial center, what is the center of power now? Does Africa have a place in that center?
If Africans are no longer viewed as in need of colonization, they are then seen as being in a position to provide to the global community. What can Africans provide to the global community?
What African qualities can they retain as they participate in global culture and; What cultures do they influence?
In rethinking our position or rethinking our identity; even as we do in Christ we may begin to see Africans as we see ourselves in Christ. As overcomers and powerful forces of influence and change in this world.
posted by Colleen Yvonne Mae @ 8:42 PM
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