Essay: The Visible Manifestation of Globalization Culture brings people together and can also tear people apart.

It spreads like wildfire. Culture is alive and is in every one of us. It is what we eat, the way we talk and how we live. It is what we can visually see from different demographics of people. Cultural globalization is the visual product from how our parents, ancestors, whom ever, raises us. It is also the visual product of when economic and political globalization come into contact with our community and society to shape what we eat, who we worship or what we learn in an area, village or country. My Fascination with cultural globalization comes from a deep appreciation for the different types of nationalities and races that exist and what they find important to them. No man is an island to himself. In the same logic, no nation is an island to herself. In the process of international interactions, there is an interaction of cultures and thus, a borrowing and diffusion of cultures amongst nations (obioha). In this essay I will analyze cultural globalization within some parts of Africa, tying this into the works I discussed in class such as The Dark Child by Camara Laye and the movie Keita as well as many others. I will also be discussing the struggle of traditional culture and how it fights against western civilization to stay alive and prevalent in African communities. Globalization has generated a lot of controversy with regards to the rise of a global culture. Globalization was never a new concept to Africa. But this all depends on ones definition of the term. Africa came into contact with other parts of the world early on during the slave trade; this in itself had a major impact on Africas most valuable resource, the people. Africas culture and people where never the same after that. This moment in time significantly altered Africa histo-culturally (obioha). In the rise of a global culture, western norms and practices are

gradually being transported across the globe as the standard and acceptable way of behavior (obioha). In an academic journal Globalization and the future of African Culture globalization is defined as a process of bringing together the compliant nations of the world under a global village with socio-politico and economico-cultural interaction, integration, and diffusion. To give and take facilitated information, perhaps for the enhancement of the global world. The word perhaps is used because it is difficult to ascertain whether globalization brings about the enhancement of the global world (obioha). Enhancing the global world is very subjective what may be beneficial to one part of Africa may not be beneficial to another part. Although cultural globalization is often times viewed as a bad thing, it can also be a beneficial occurrence in African communities. It can bring about better forms of education for the youth and bring jobs for the people. Cultural globalization encompasses other forms of globalization such as economic and political. Political and economic changes and implementations from the west can also affect how the people of Africa live. Economic decisions from the company Coca-Cola to begin distribution of their beverages in Africa contributes to cultural globalization. Drinking Coca-Cola is now a part of those people everyday life. Decisions like these from big corporations and companies to bring their products over to Africa can end up changing the traditional views and lifestyles of the residents. Although these people do bring over jobs which help the people of Africa, small markets and traditional family owned stores are competing and these parts of Africas traditional lifestyle is competing to stay alive. In The Dark Child by Camara Laye he writes a memoir about how he goes through life trying to discover what he should be. Western civilization and ideals play a big part in what Camaras path in life is. Even though there are signs of traditional views and ideals throughout this novel many people in Camaras life steered him away from them and kind of degraded a

more traditional lifestyle against a more westernized one. Page 89 in the novel a conversation happens between Camara as a young boy and his uncle. In this conversation Camara asks if he can reap the rice for a while and his uncle replies saying what would your grandmother say? This sickle is no toy you have no idea how sharp it is the conversation continues and in the end his uncle ultimately says it isnt your job to cut rice. I dont think it ever will be. Although this statement is initially crushing for Camaras desire to want to reap the rice his destiny is made clear in that statement. His uncle is living a more traditional life and working so that he may support himself and the people around him and when Camara wants to do what he is doing instead of offering him the sickle his Uncle rejects. Though it seems like his uncle is just doing what camaras grandmother would want, which is for him to not play with the reap it is made clear that his path towards a more westernized life where he wears a suit and works in an office instead of reaping rice on a field is made more important. On page 117 during the circumcision ceremony, Camaras second mother appears with his father bearing a gift. She holds an exercise book and a fountain pen. When Camara realizes what she is holding he was not happy at all and rather than encouraging him, she embarrassed him. But he knew that his second mother was merely observing an old custom, and by doing so offering him an exercise book and a fountain pen, symbols of profession, which in her eyes was superior to that of becoming a farmer or a mechanic. Years and years ago being a farmer and having an abundance of cattle on ones land was said to be successful but when Camara was a boy, what was accepted and known to be a sign of success changed completely. A more modern life plays a more important role than growing up to be a farmer or a mechanic in the eyes of Camaras second mother and many of the people around him. Cultural globalization plays a big part in how Camara grew up and what he wore. His clothes portrayed a more modern and uniform appearance while his playmates ran

around barefoot and wore just a pair of shorts. Even though he went through some of the traditional rituals of where he grew up such as the circumcision ceremony Camara still grew up differently than other people. Culture is a continuous process of change but in spite of the change, culture continues to give a community a sense of identity, dignity, continuity, security and binds society together (obioha). In Africas sense its identity and dignity is being stripped away. Western imperialism, particularly American imperialism seeks to impose its hegemony on other subjugated and exploited nations (obioha). Although parts of Africa is moving towards a more developed area the interjection of western ideals impose on Africas identity and their dignity as well. When watching the movie Keita the students were in class learning history, but I noticed that in in their lesson of they were learning about Christopher Columbus. This seemed weird to me because I would have pictured them learning about the different cultures within their town or the different cultures around them. But education and what one learns in school is very biased. Whether it is in Africa or it is in America. One would think if you were going to learn history in America you would learn more about the people who were originally here, the Native Americans. But you dont, instead you learn about Christopher Columbus. For a long time, Africa was said to have no history and to have contributed nothing to mankind. Arnold Toynbee, one of the most influential British historians, held the view that Africans had not contributed positively to any civilization. The denial of the African past by Europeans was often done unconsciously. Many times, however it was a deliberate act to justify the European presence on the continent and to maintain the subjugation of the African people. These European people maintained their presence in Africa and over time molded some of the native people (Azevedo). They changed what they learned in schools and what they wore out in

public. The colonial model tends to emphasize the colonial period and its everlasting impact on all African institutions, without in any way justifying colonialism. This model demonstrates that Africa would not be what it is today without the accident of colonial domination. Europeans saw Africa and African-America for colonies of the west: Africans under neo-colonialism and dependence, and black Americans under domestic colonialism. With both people still experiencing political domination, economic exploitation, and cultural subjugation, the main problem this model holds is its neglect and the fact that it overlooks the African traditional past (Azevedo). Africas traditional past plays a big role in cultural globalization. Its tradition is becoming ephemeral in comparison to the wests colonization into Africa. Tradition is at a constant fight within the culture of Africa and internally of the people. Relating back to The Dark Child, Camara was constantly in an internal conflict trying to figure out what he wanted to do and what kind of person he wanted to become when he reached adulthood. This internal conflict wouldve never been made present if it wasnt the help for western colonization. When talking about Cultural Globalization we have to determine if globalization makes the people of Africa more alike or more different? Western colonization in Africa is on a path to make more people alike. Alike only in the sense that everyone is more westernized. This cultural globalization isnt appreciating the cultural rainbow that reflects diversity in Africa. Throughout my liberal studies class I have noticed that many of the characters whether they be in the novels we read or the movies we watch often feel the pressure of having to choose between living a more westernized life or a more traditional one. I whole-heartedly believe that cultural globalization can be a very beneficial occurrence but I also believe that we must never forget the traditional values that started everything and gave people the morals and beliefs they hold and build onto today.

Work Cited. Azevedo, Mario Joaquim. Africana studies: a survey of Africa and the African diaspora. 2nd ed. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 1998. Print. Precious , Obioha. "Globalization and the future of African Culture ." Academic Journals 2(1) (2010): n. pag. Philisophical papers and Reviews. Web. 9 May 2011.