The Falola Experience

            First a Summary:

             I was, for some unknown reason, able to hear one the most esteemed and advanced scholars in his field discuss an elaboration of what we consider ethnocentric, transnational globalization. In his lecture on the Globalization of African Culture, Falola refers to three specific, yet all encompassing  ways that African culture has been stretched, ignored, altered, and degraded.

Through the Nigerian, specifically Yoruba, knowledge of medicine, outsiders could gain more political and psychological stability through a more in depth analysis of plants and animals.  He explained that the Yoruba people of Nigeria have advanced and in depth knowledge of the workings of plants and animals to make medicines, poisons and so on. He alluded to Ceasar and how he attained his power through the use of medicine, and poison, therefore this type of knowledge can influence and systemically change the society we live in, for the definition of “power” will the have changed to a power of knowledge instead of the power of wealth and the western views of success. Through knowledge from the Yoruba, leaders from all economic and environmental sects of society can transcend their superficial separation and gain power.

The audience also saw how the adoption of African culture in American society, strips it of its authenticity, and in this way a new African American culture is born. African American culture is quite a different than African culture. We watched a film displaying how Africans living in America are stripped of their culture and are expected to alter themselves to fit better with the American identity.

Finally, Falola explained how the slave trade, slavery, and racism are globalized transnationally which reinforces new cultural meanings and can create an African identity, different than the authentic African form of being. Globalization has played a role in this in such a large way. We are more and more a global society connected virtually and physically. As alluded to by a reading in my Anthropology of Sub Saharn Africa class, Terence  Ranger in his article “The Invention of Tradition”, explains how there can exist societal changes with the introduction of differing forms of governance, power, and religion, all of which are three ways  globalization is exemplified. The spread of capitalism,  or the need to always be excelling in the allocation of the western idea of wealth, has also played a role in shaping the global society and stripping cultures, like African cultures, of its very fundemental form of understanding and being, which inhibits and disables society from evolving into an equal and just system. 

Now a reflection:

This lecture was absolutely enriching. It gave me a more indepth understanding of how, in a sense, we are all being colonized and we are all influenced and systemically supported in becoming a homogenous and uniform culture which strips other cultures of their importance and meaning. His lecture made me consider gender relations, patriarchy and how the media plays a large role in the hemogenization of culture. Through media such as the internet, hollywood, TV, and the news, we are constantly reminded of where the elite class places importance. Therefore, through these subconscious and sometimes explicit tools of reinforcement, we as a society are shaped and molded, and in many cases oppressed, by the perpetuation of patriarchy, ethnocentrism, racism, and the like.  I have so far come to the conclusion that the only way to gain clarity is to open your eyes and view EVERYTHING through a critical lens. Ask, why do I believe this? Why is society constructed like this, and who does it mostly reflect? Then we will be able to raise an awareness of these issues and can adopt our own ideas of what is means to share the world with billions of people. This was an awesome experience.