Certain cultures dominate world thinking because
they are projected more by the media platforms you are part of. For instance I
was mostly exposed to Indian culture because I was born in India. In addition
to this I had lots of exposure to Western Culture (American) because of my
constant exposure to their products through the internet and other mediums.
But the world was much bigger than my
perspective of it through the eyes of these two cultures. What do the Latin
American countries have to offer the world? What do South East Asian countries
have to offer the world? What about the cultural offerings of the African
nations?
Why was I limited to culture from only these limited perspectives? I wanted to find out!
Why was I limited to culture from only these limited perspectives? I wanted to find out!
1)
Study one recommended documentary or book about the country - Read a highly recommended travelogue or fictional book about the
people of the country. For India, for instance, you can read R.K Narayan’s
‘Malgudi Days’ to get an understanding of rural life in India or you can read
the historian Ramachandra Guha’s India before Gandhi and India After Gandhi to
get a historical perspective about the country.
2)
Read newspapers and magazines from several different countries – This will give you a deeper understanding of the issues concerning
the country in the present time in a variety of different fields. You can take
three top newspapers and three top magazines that best represent each country.
In the United States of America, you can read the New York Times, The
Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. You can read the Time Magazine, The
Economist and the New Yorker for the magazines. Similarly in India you can read
the Indian Express, The Hindu and the Times of India to get an understanding of
the current issues and interests of the country.
3)
Watch films or videos about that country - Make a list of all the great
film makers and documentary film makers of each country and try watching as
many of the movies made by them as possible. You can watch all of Satyajit
Ray’s films to learn more about India.
4)
Read the literature and non-fiction content coming out of that country – When I wanted to understand Latin American culture, I read Gabriel
Garcia Marquez and Mario Llosa. I also read Che Gueuvera’s, The motorcycle
diaries that was about his motorcycle journey across Latin merica. I then read
Oscar Guardiola Riviera’s, ‘What if Latin America ruled the World- How the
south will take the north through the 21st century’. All this
sparked my interest in the countries of Latin America and made me want to know
more about the people and culture in each country
5)
Make a friend from the other country – Use the
internet and online social networking platforms to connect with someone from
another country. Agree to share information about your country and connect the
person to other individuals from your country. For instance, after getting in
touch with a south African youth speaker, we formed a group with over 300 young
change makers from India and Africa.
6)
Study the History of the country – Research
about the how the country first came into existence, its first inhabitants, and
what
7)
Study other cultural aspects of each country – Research about the cuisine, dances, music, language and various
rituals of each country. See what each country values most and study that
aspect of that country in details. For instance the people of Argentina and
Brazil in Latin America are really passionate about Football and a lot can be
understood about the mindset of the people there by studying the evolution of
the game of football over there over the years.
8)
Study the work of a subject expert from the country – Read the books of that person. Watch the person’s lectures online.
Read all the blogs and articles written by the person and about the person as
well.
Let us Learn Together
Tweet @AbhishekShetty_
Sat-chit-ananda
No comments:
Post a Comment