July 04, 2006
the story of the 21st century
"That is basically the next big challenge ... is making this interdependent world of ours on balance far more positive than negative ... and the extent to which we succeed in doing that will determine whether the 21st century is marred by terrorism of all kinds or whether it becomes the most peaceful and prosperous and interesting time the world has ever seen."
Former President Bill Clinton from "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy"
recently, i have watched a bunch of movies from the african diaspora. "Orfeu Negro", - the greek myth re-told in the favelas of rio at carnaval time; "Tsotsi" - slum life in jo'burg, "U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha", - bizet's “carmen” remixed in cape town's townships; "DRUM" - the legendary south african magazine and its connection to sophiatown, the slum that many of its writers/subjects lived/worked; "Cidade de Deus/News From A Personal War" - dvd of that seminal film, and an accompanying documentary that shows although the film got the MTV-treatment, factually it is not so far away from reality.
i believe that the story of the 21st century is the growth of megacities comprised largely of places like manguiera, soweto, kibera, which if not integrated into the mainstream threaten to engulf everything around them in the insecurity and despair they breed. already in many third world cities, there are huge swaths of urban territory that are outside the “official” economy. the violence and lack of formal infrastructure keep out all but those who have no choice but live there and the cops who are supposed to keep those areas in check. alternatively, the rich are imprisoned behind high compound walls, security systems, and armored SUVs. america has its war on terror, the rest of the world lives with terror created by urban poverty.
these films have given me a nuanced glimpse into places i may never willingly set foot in where people live and die much like the rest of us. its just that we don’t have the guns and the squalor, and they have much better music.
update: my blog software is experiencing unexplained techincal difficulties with links. please stand by while i resolve the problem. normal linking should resume soon. asante
Posted by kamau at July 4, 2006 12:39 AM