Culture Imperialism in Nigeria

The reference article talks about the influence of the television industry on Nigerian society. The point I’m going to focus on today, however, is the discussion about cultural imperialism in Nigeria. To quote from the reference article, “The globalization in the world has made it for people to access TV stations in Arab, Europe, America and so on...It is what the technology has imposed on the world and there is no way you can build a barrier against it. All you can hope for is when a nation holds authentic cultural value that they would be able to resist it.”

I believe that the very awareness of the presence of cultural imperialism serves to diminish its impact. Since these people already know that the American influence on the country’s media, government and society is relatively significant, they will be more alert so as to not fall prey to its attempts to shape culture.

On the other hand, try as they might by perhaps setting a quota to restrict the amount of American programs aired on television, they cannot totally impede the flow of American culture to the nation. This is because even if the government decides to give subsidies to local producers to produce local programs, they and other related authorities cannot ignore the fact that these local producers have already been influenced somewhat by American culture. There will definitely be a certain magnitude of American influence in the environment they were brought up in and on the media products they were brought up with. Their minds already ingrained with Americanized mindsets and perceptions, these local producers would inevitably produce programs that have a degree of Western influence in them. No matter how small this influence might be, the increased production and viewership of local programs (with American culture embedded in them) will still cause a shaping of the people’s mindsets. It is unavoidable.

Even more so, being a developing nation, Nigeria would not have had the latest technology available to produce media products; it is only through the provision of the American companies that they are able to obtain state-of-the-art equipment. The advocacy of production of local-helmed programs would thus further enhance American influence on the nation. Despite government efforts to hinder cultural imperialism, they cannot completely eliminate the impacts of this influence as American media products have already found their way into the market and become a part of Nigeria’s media production efforts. They need such “interference” in order to keep their media industry alive.

However, cultural imperialism is not entirely bad as it increase the pace of development in Nigeria and other less developed countries. For example, in the giving away of media products free of charge or selling them at a very low price to these developing nations, the US actually accelerates the growth of the media industry and the advancement in technology, hence increasing the knowledge and skills of the people there. Their actions not only add on to actual growth; the subsequent increase in human capital further boosts potential growth, which is essential for the actual growth to be sustained in the long run. This investment in human capital goes a long way and benefits the country as it strengthens the competitive edge and increases productivity of the workforce. Economic growth is also achieved.

 

Reference article: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/10/24/50-years-of-television-in-nigeria-so-far-so-good/

 

Changing Cultures

Reference article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/books/review/Hochschild-t.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=culture&st=Search

 

It can be said in many parts of our world today that people have been changed or shaped by change to desire for change. Due to the advancement in technology and the speed at which new inventions appear on the market, people have been conditioned to think that rapid change is normal and should be encouraged. Yes, in the above-mentioned situations, rapid upgrading of technological devices is welcome, for it brings convenience and entertainment to the masses. However, in the area of culture, rapid change may not be beneficial and may even bring some undesirable consequences.

According to Geert Hoftstede, culture is the “collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another…includes systems of values and values are among the building blocks of culture.”

Culture is dynamic. However, this dynamism of culture can go both ways – it can either benefit society, or tear down the foundations people have worked so hard to build. As mentioned by the article, the states of families, classes (blue collar vs white collar) and especially marriage culture in the American society have undergone significant changes. Why? Perhaps these changes are the indirect result of all the changes going on around the world; in this fast-paced global economy, stability is scarce and hence insecurity prevalent. Leadership changes hands quite frequently. Corruption in governments is strife. More and more diseases are being discovered and increasing numbers of people are dying from them each day. Natural disasters, global warming, rising sea levels… All these once-rare occurrences are becoming the norm. As such, people all over are trying means and ways to achieve constancy, by working hard, and doing what they perceive as best for them. Because of this,  … It is the relative instability of events in our personal lives and around the world that shape an individual’s desire to “search for change to change for the better”; therefore, the culture of the society (which is made up of individuals) is subject to these ever-shifting mindsets and hence cultural changes ensue.

 

Group Communication: Who, How, Why, What.

All people who have ever walked the earth have this innate desire to belong to a group of a certain sort; they have an inherent need to be loved and accepted. In today’s post, I’m going to talk about another aspect of my life – my caregroup (otherwise known as cell group).

This group is made up of people from different schools in Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), namely RMIT, UOL and UB. Unlike social groups, we didn’t choose to be put together. Even though this caused initial interaction to be tougher, it made working together towards a common vision, building deeper friendships and growing in our understanding much more fulfilling. Some people may wonder, why is there a need for such small groups? Can’t a believer function on his/her own in the church? Well, I guess some of the reasons for us being put into small groups are, as mentioned in the lecture slides, for group synergy, meeting of members’ interpersonal needs and also to lend support and commitment. Instead of relying on an individual’s desire, skills and actions alone to do the work and serve the community, coming together as a group and putting our gifts and abilities together to achieve the same aims is much more effective. For example, Sharon is a versatile musician, Hanyun is good at organization, and Elaine is very detailed. All these attributes, if used alone, cannot amount to much. When put together, on the other hand, the impact is far-reaching and explosive. We can do so much more together. Yes, we are very different people, but in diversity there is greater cohesion as well – we are able to complement each other’s talents, cover for each other’s weaknesses and encourage each other to keep at what we’re doing.

In meeting members’ interpersonal needs and lending support, for instance, when Michelle and I were feeling tired during some class because both of us had been staying up late the past nights, Ning went to get M & M’s for us to munch on in order to keep us awake.

No matter how united we are, conflicts are unavoidable. We can get irritated at one another due to different working styles, unmet expectations and personality clashes.  However, conflicts, if handled correctly, can serve to strengthen friendships and foster trust within the community (in this case, conflict is functional). Firstly, we do our best to communicate our gripe. Instead of keeping all those unhappy feelings to ourselves, we strive to resolve it properly by communicating our unhappiness specifically and clearly, and through relevant channels like our leaders, those who can give us better advice as to how to resolve the problem. Then, we seek to speak directly to those involved and not tell the entire community, leaving out the very one person whom we have a conflict with. Side note: gossip is basically telling anyone who is not part of the problem and who cannot help you solve the problem. Lastly, we complete the resolution of the conflict with proper accountability, which is to allow others to keep us in check and ensure that we hold on to our word.

This is how we’ve maintained and improved the relationship till this day: Working together, being united in spirit and in purpose, and resolving conflicts the right way.

Some words to you. =)

Hello all. The following is about how the relationship between my best friend and I developed. Honestly, it feels weird to type stuff like “My best friend and I”. So I shall just write this to the person herself. Yes, I’m talking about you, Rebecca. Here goes.

For today, I’ll use the first 5 stages of Knapp’s model of relational development.

 

 

I first got to know you in December (December 6 to be exact) last year, when we both joined the choir to sing for the children’s home. This is the initiating stage. Well, I remember clearly that I spoke to you because you’re from the same CCA as I was – Track and Field. And incidentally, the coaches from my school coached yours too! But if I remember correctly, our conversation ended there and then. Haha.

Then came the experimenting stage. Even though we did meet up quite a few times after singing for the children’s home because of the youth Christmas service song presentation preparation, our discussion topics revolved around track and field, mutual friends, the coaches, choir, church etc. Nothing deep, nothing significant. All small talk (phatic communication). Safe, general topics. But it maintained some kind of connection between us, and we became a bit more than hi-bye friends.

Now here’s where it gets blurry. I’m not sure if the intensifying stage (increased commitment, awareness and participation) started here or later: on 21 Febuary, Saturday, you went for All-comers Meet, then I called you at night to ask you how you were. Our conversation started from discussing the competition and gradually branched to other deeper topics, like family, some failed attempts of mine, feelings etc. In the end, that phone call lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes. Neither of us had spoken on the phone for so long before. It was a new experience, and I got to know you much better through it. And through all the subsequent meet-ups (in which we shared about our past hurts, certain struggles, and thought through problems together), events (thanks for being there for me when I was down after release of results, and visiting me when I couldn’t really walk properly) and many other situations – these further strengthened our relationship.

For integrating, we influenced and caused each other to grow. From you I learnt about having a spirit of excellence in everything I do, and doing my best in everything I’ve been given. I’ve also learnt how to express my love for others through the use of haptics (usually I just go the extra mile to help people and encourage them) – for the first time in about 6-7 years, I gave my father and sister a hug. And also about taking initiative to build family relationships. The above 3 aren’t exhaustive though.

Now for bonding. To put it simply: we’ve decided to hold each other accountable, be open to one another, speak the truth in love (for wounds from a friend can be trusted), spur each other on in our walk with God and to continue running this race together till the end. This is my commitment; please feel free to kick me if I don’t keep to it.

Note to all: If you’re wondering why I can remember all the dates, it’s because I keep a journal. Haha.