I have four films here that clock very different approaches to cultural literacy. In the first two, we see how war and natural disasters shape what Paulo Freire would term the "writing of words and worlds." Through children's art from Darfur and Thailand, we see the meanings they make through their lived, perceived, and constructed geographies. What these children are learning, and the images they are creating, say a lot about literacy as a cultural act. They also speak to (and for) the ways in which political rhetorics and actions on the part of adults, shape the lived realities for children who cannot advocate for change, or claim agency within their larger social constructs.
Thailand and Children: Tsunami
By comparison, the first world experience of technology, is widening the rhetorical gap between third-world and first-world cultures. For me, it's difficult to miss the privilege of first-world cultures, particularly when one considers the epistemic and ontological implications of technology. How first-world knowledges are created, shared, and validated is markedly different from those in Thailand and Darfur. I can't help but to wonder what "advances" the first-world cultures will create through technology that will keep third-world cultures in subservience within the global market of ideas (and trade).
The Machine is (Us)ing Us by Michael Wesch:
A Portal to Media Literacy by Michael Wesch:
No comments:
Post a Comment