"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
Don't Fight Culture
"We’ve got bicycles and mobile phones in Africa, plus lots of metal to weld."
We've also got Mac Airs and Converse Allstars.
'African' stories are constantly taken from their very specific cultural settings and decontextualised
to stand as symbols for the entire continent.
This is the kind of thing we're subjected to:
That's not Africa. That's a fictionalised idea of Africa.
'Africa' is really only a geographical space. Culture is not a single h***geneous unit. It's a diverse and fragmentary mix of language, community, attitude and identity. Understanding this is key to social innovation.
Don't let stereotypes mess with your ability to truly interact with people, African or otherwise.
Views: 12
-
Comment by Brandon Spearman on March 3, 2010 at 10:22am
-
You're right Charlie. Commercials like these from major corporations only live to strengthen stereotypes that need to be forgotten.
-
Comment by Gene Becker on March 3, 2010 at 9:39pm
-
Well said. To EVOKE, we need to understand. How can those of us who are far removed from the real on-the-ground culture through geographic, economic and cultural distance, learn the ground truth? How do you do it, yourself?
-
Comment by Bruce Haynes on March 4, 2010 at 2:33pm
-
i def choose to power vote this as LOCAL INSIGHT ! you seem to have a good grasp of what seems to be a complex issue , keep talking charlie, we'll be listening:)
-
Comment by Sam Merrell on March 9, 2010 at 8:47am
-
Definitely agree here. I find it very frustrating when people generalize Africa so much. It is such a diverse continent and we all need to be aware of that. I also feel the same as Gene, for someone like myself I know that I don't know much about the culture or conditions in many places in Africa and I'd like to see how others are learning. As for myself I think I could begin by looking for bloggers in Africa I could follow or those on Twitter would be a good start.
-
Comment by Jerry Rae Leyland on March 9, 2010 at 10:58am
-
So well put!
*local insight*
Comment
Latest Activity
Fourth of July on the Lake
This past weekend was the annual celebration at the lake house in Connecticut. It is amazing that the lake is still so clear and beautiful after all these years. The watershed association has done a wonderful job protecting these waters from the damaging effects of development.The wood grill was finally ready to cook on, so we didn't miss the propane tank fueled grill anymore. The food actually tasted fresher than in the past and was easy to keep fueled.Dad was very proud of the solar hybrid…See More
Stinging Nettle
In this blog post I will focus on a plant that is abundant in our nature, and which is immensely nutritious. It's of course the Stinging Nettle. Let's start with the chemical constituents of this plant:37 % Non-Nitrogen-Extracts19 - 29 % Ash9 - 21 % Fiber4 % Fat22 % ProteinOnce the leaves are drid, their protein content can reach an astounding 40 %, which is much higher than beef, which even under the best of circ**stances can never exceed 31 % protein. In addition the Stinging Nettle consists…See More
The meal
It is 7'oclock, I was late home from work due to an assignment that i wanted to get ahead on. By the time I get home I am feeling extremley tired and I cannot be bothered to make a proper meal. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what there is for me to eat. All of the out of date foodstuffs have been automaticaly thrown away by the fridge, they will be recycled tomorrow as animal feed or something. I see i have organic local eggs and some local cheese. Foods are vacc** sealded for easy…See More
Future
FutureToday is 2020/1/1. It is just like yesterday. The war is still continuing. It has started since 2010. In 2010, that year was a horrible year. Almost every energy ran out. Every country’s governments were crushed down at the same time. There were riots everywhere. All of the big company’s bosses were killed xdeadx in the riots. Troops fought each other everywhere. Food was bought up xawayx at once. There were no more food supplies in any shops. The economy was all crushed down. All the…See More
public servants
The exchange works directly for state and public workers and servants. It gives them credit in exchange for the amount of public work they contribute to the community. The more constructive they are based off a base rate the more credit they recieve.
© 2024 Created by Alchemy.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Urgent Evoke to add comments!
Join Urgent Evoke