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Geldof’s Live8 and Western myths about Africa

Published on June 29, 2005 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, Us and Them

Interesting post on Black Looks by African feminist Sokari on Live Aid that remembers on the debates on the African Village in the zoo of Augsburg. In both cases, it’s our images of Africa that are questionable.

She writes:

“Do They Know Its Christmas” has just been re-recorded – remember the lyrics?

“underneath a burning sun………….where nothing ever grows” “no rain nor river flows”

This is the vision of Africa being sold to millions of young people all over the West – an African stereotype described by Gerald Caplan as “helpless, dependent, passive victims, and we westerners as decent, selfless, compassionate, resourceful missionaries”.

These simplistic and reductionist views of Africa are not just unhelpful they actually add to the problems Africa faces as it reduces them to “natural causes – bad luck”.

She quotes Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie who suggests that it is not only Africa that is in receipt of Aid, the West also needs to be weaned off the Aid it receives from Africa and lists 5 areas where that aid comes from. >> continue

UPDATE:
Globalvoices Roundup: Africans on Live 8
Globalvoices: More Africans – and Afrophiles – on Live8

Interesting post on Black Looks by African feminist Sokari on Live Aid that remembers on the debates on the African Village in the zoo of Augsburg. In both cases, it's our images of Africa that are questionable.

She writes:

"Do They Know…

Our obsession with the notion of the primitive society

Published on June 24, 2005 by lorenz Posted in Andaman & Nicobar societies, anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, indigenous people / minorities, persons and theories, Us and Them

Quite regularily, newspapers report about so called “primitive peoples”. The newest example is the Reuters-story “Hunter-gatherers face extinction on Andaman island” where we read “how primitive tribesmen came out of the jungle armed with bows, arrows and spears, raided a village in the Middle Andaman island and looted tools, food, clothes, cash and jewellery” and the reporter asks if this is an “indication that the Jarawa hunter-gatherers remain untamed primitives — or a cry for help from man’s earliest ancestors, their forests and their lifestyle, their existence under threat as never before?”.

I’ve always wondered why Westerners are so obsessed with this notion of the primitive, with the notion of linear evolution where the so-called so called enlightened West reigns on the top. From an anthropological point of view one could explain this phenomenon like this: These so-called primitives are used by the West in order to construct a positive image of itself – the “primitives” play the same role as the so-called “Orient” – as shown by Edward Said in his classic “Orientalism”.

Or as Adam Kuper wrote in his book The Invention of Primitive Society: “Primitive society was the mirror image of modern society – or rather, primitive society as they imagined it inverted the characteristics of modern society as they saw it.”

This also applies to anthropologists as we know. Kuper writes:

“The anthropologists took this primitive society as their special subject, but in practice primitive society proved to be their own society (as they understood it) seen in a distorting mirror. For them modern society was defined above all by the territorial state, the monogamous family and private property. Primitive society therefor must have been nomadic, promiscuos and communist. (…) Primitive man was illogical and given to magic.”

UPDATE: See also Evamaria’s ramblings: As an anthropologist, Cameron Diaz’ travel show on MTV is pretty offensive to my sensibilities. ‘The life of the Massai has remained the same for the last 600 years.’ Ugh, that kind of remark makes my skin crawl! >> continue

Quite regularily, newspapers report about so called "primitive peoples". The newest example is the Reuters-story "Hunter-gatherers face extinction on Andaman island" where we read "how primitive tribesmen came out of the jungle armed with bows, arrows and spears, raided a…

Radio interview on African Village/ “Germans&Japanese less sensitive about race”

Published on June 20, 2005 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Europe, Us and Them

The African Village at the zoo in Augsburg, Germany is still debated in the international media.

“An African culture festival creates a storm in Germany. Critics say it’s like shows in colonial times that degraded Africans. The flap has sparked a broader discussion about racism in Germany, and what it’s like to be both dark-skinned and a native German”, the National Public Radio (NPR) summarizes the debate around the african village in the zoo in Augsburg. >> listen to the radio report by NPR

On L’express and several other news sites comment the African Village like this: “Germans and Japanese are less sensitive about race in general and about Africa in particular than, say, people in France or the United States, where a significant minority of the population is of African descent >> continue

The African Village at the zoo in Augsburg, Germany is still debated in the international media.

"An African culture festival creates a storm in Germany. Critics say it's like shows in colonial times that degraded Africans. The flap has sparked a…

Rituals – mechanisms for both creating solidarity and for increasing conflict

Published on June 20, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, applied anthropology, Asia, culture traditions, politics, religion cosmology, Us and Them

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research

Dutch-sponsored researcher Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta analysed the dynamics of the conflict between Muslims and Christians in the Molucca Islands. The anthropologist proposes that rituals play an important role in this. Ritual was found to unite and mobilise people in a confrontation with real or supposed outsiders, but it also helped them to reach an agreement after the confrontation. >> continue

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research

In Detroit and London: More African Villages in the Zoo

Published on June 13, 2005 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, Us and Them

There’s been much discussion about the African Village in the Augsburg Zoo that took place last weekend. At the same time, the Detroit Zoo has arranged an African American Festival: “It will feature storyteller Ivory D. Williams, arts and crafts, authentic style food, hip-hop lessons, dance groups and an African American Community Resource area.” They plan even more festivals like the Middle Eastern Festival, Caribbean Festival and the Native American Festival. No Bavarian or European festival, though. >> read the press release

The African Village in the Augsburg zoo wasn’t actually a village. Visitors and journalists told about the usual stands with rings, arts and food that one finds on every festival. As Zeyneb Kaengo, 39, an African who was cooking at an African food stand, told the press: “I do not understand why people are protesting. Maybe they thought we were going to be put in cages, but that’s not true,” she said.

Nevertheless, the question remains “why Europe is suddenly obsessed with this exotic fascination for Africa, which only the zoo can provide” as the Guardian (Nigeria) asks in an interesting article. They write about forthcoming “African nights” in the London Zoo.

On the zoo’s homepage we read:

“In addition to the unique opportunity to experience the animals settling in for the evening, visitors will be able to soak up the African culture with themed animal shows, live African performances, licensed bars and African food on offer throughout the evening. For the children there will be the opportunity to learn how to make Maasai masks, listen to traditional African stories and have their faces painted like tribal warriors!”

>> continue

As anthropologist Nina Glick Schiller commented, the city of Seattle, USA, put Africans in a Zoo in May 2001, see article in the Seattle Post

SEE ALSO:

BBC: Row over German zoo’s Africa show

Radio interview on African Village/ “Germans & Japanese less sensitive about race”

African village in the Zoo: Protest against racist exhibition

There's been much discussion about the African Village in the Augsburg Zoo that took place last weekend. At the same time, the Detroit Zoo has arranged an African American Festival: "It will feature storyteller Ivory D. Williams, arts and crafts,…