Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Iceland, Austria, and Taiwan are among the happiest countries in the world according to the Legatum Institute's Prosperity Index for 2013. These countries are also considered to be some of the world's most culturally homogenous. This isn't a coincidence!
Engrained in my moral fibre is the idea that people should coexist. It has been my goal for a long time to help intolerant people see the good in the differences of others, or at least to see ways in which we are all similar. This new realization has thrown a wrench in my understanding of development, and my life as a whole. It begs the question: Were cultures meant to cross? Is globalization causing a multicultural dynamic in the world that shouldn't exist? By promoting tolerance and acceptance, are we forcing something on human nature that isn't innately a part of us? I will be the first to say I am proud and thankful for diversity and cultural integration, because without it my parents wouldn't be together and I wouldn't be here. Even my group of friends are a testament to the proliferation of multiculturalism, with 50 shades of flesh-tone between us. Just because we enjoy a life filled with cultural diversity, doesn't mean that's how the world is meant to be. It's dawning on me now that, maybe the continental separations exist for a reason. Different cultures come from specific regions, and maybe people were never supposed to leave their respective corners of the Earth. While this all sounds horribly wrong to me, I can't say for certain that it is. It wouldn't be the first time humanity has gotten it all wrong. That said, I live in Canada. My dad's British, my mom's Indian, my cousins are Polish and Italian, my boyfriend's Korean, and I couldn't be happier.
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In my first year of INDEV I bought this poster, partially to hide the ugly chipped paint in my dorm room, but also because it represented everything I thought and felt about Africa. Looking at the image closely, you see words that describe the desolate situation in the continent: missing, fragile, poverty, AIDS, peace, is there a God? At the time, I believed buying this poster was a statement of my outrage at the imbalanced world order, making me a typical bleeding-heart development student. The poster still hangs on my wall and remains one of my favourites, but now I look at it with a more learned and critical eye. Why has the African continent been painted with such a forsaken brush? The starving, sick and homeless child is a symbol that has been exploited by the marketing departments of numerous charitable organizations, with the hope of generous donations from viewers whose heartstrings have been tugged by such a stark visual. The stereotype didn't spontaneously appear, and I can't pretend that there is no truth in it, but is the current depiction of Africa still relevant and accurate? According to Richard Dowden, blogger for the Royal African Society, Africa has grown significantly more than the media has given it credit for. The victimization of Africa is a trend that has not evolved at all since it began, even though the continent has shown substantial progress. He claims, "The debate about the “image of Africa” seems to be reaching a consensus. The starving African child represents a reality that is rare and local. We must clear our minds of that image as representative of Africa, all of it, always. The growth figures show that Africa is apparently doing well economically and many of the conflicts, which were always local, often quite small but created terrible suffering, have come to an end. Medication for AIDS and other diseases has become more widely available. No one speaks of the hopeless continent any more." Dowden does not completely discredit the image of Africa that the media portrays, but he does emphasize that Africa's poor live alongside the rich population of the continent, not unlike Canada's homeless population. The biggest problem with victimizing Africa is the stigma that accompanies it, making the continent seem helpless, backward, uncivilized, and unable to develop independently. Further, this feeds the public misconception that the problems in Africa can be solved just by throwing money at them, without dedicating the time or resources that are also necessary for development. If there is anything I have learned in International Development so far, it is that world issues are so much more complex than they seem, and that we must be weary of swallowing all that the media chooses to feed us. Access Dowden's full article, Africa's Image And Reality: Wealth and Poverty Sit Side-By-Side. January 2013...
It marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (a personal favourite of mine), the survival of planet Earth beyond the Mayan apocalyptic predictions, and eight months until my departure. Chances are, if you're already reading this blog, you are among the many people who have patiently listened to me ramble on for the past two and a half years about my field placement in International Development. It's fast approaching now, and while I don't know for sure where I'm headed, in all likelihood I'll find myself in Nepal. Undoubtedly my life from now through August will become increasingly eventful as details of my travel plans are made clear, but I'm quite certain that when I am abroad from September to April my world will essentially be turned on its head. This blog is how I plan to take all those I care most about, and anyone else who chooses to follow me, along for the journey. Here I will document new information regarding my placement, the most interesting aspects of my academic life, and occasionally my own thoughts on current events and relevant issues. I would prefer to think of this site as a discussion rather than a monologue, partly to know that I'm not just having a conversation with myself, but also to hear your feedback. Please don't hesitate to comment on any of my posts, ask questions, or send me articles and ideas that you think I should look into. When I began university in September 2010, I started my own adventure. I will consider the next 16 months of my life an adventure that I have both the honour and responsibility to share...it's our adventure. |