What if substance abuse and casual sex were ways of dealing with the pressure of being a man in society?
They are.
What if sexual performance and domination were directly related to violence against women?
It is.
Who do the heroes of Africa — the Continent’s Footballers who are given god-like status — consider to be their role models?
Their grandmothers, mothers and wives. (Okay, and Lucas Radebe too)
How is the plethora of Western information about HIV and AIDS internalized to modify individual behavior?
It isn’t.
Why do dominant cultures claim the right to describe ‘the other,’ frame issues, define the norm and consequently define what is abnormal or aberrant?
Because they don’t strive to understand, listen, or learn.
Our approach: The marriage of modernity and tradition
“Africa” is a huge Continent full of contradiction but it is decidedly nonwestern. Young adults embrace modernity, often defined by the Western rappers but they also adhered to a deep, internal drumbeat.
The process of creating a superhero requires a similar paradox. One has to delve into the mythology of ancient times to create a character for modern-day audiences. This metaphor describes what’s occurring in Africa right now. As Africa strives to develop, she won’t desert her traditions for they are connected to the spirit and to the earth.
It’s something that Americans have a hard time comprehending because our ancient traditions have been borrowed from the Greeks and the Romans. Understanding that tradition, heritage, and ritual must be honored concurrently with “progress” is the missing piece in the West’s dealings with Africa; it is often the missing piece in Western lives.
Traditionally entertainment has held a strong place in African culture. African music, song, and dance have been used in rituals around the fire, in religious practices, ceremonies, and festivals, and to promote healing and communication with the ancestors in the spirit world. Entertainment has also been used as a form of protest. For instance izicathulo or gumboot dancing is strongly associated with South Africa’s mine workers who were forbidden to speak to one another while working and chained to their workstations in total darkness. They used their gumboots to communicate, slapping their boots, stamping their feet, and rattling their ankle chains. Employers, unable to understand the language, listened ignorant of the content.
Entertainment is a strong means of communication, healing, and hope. What little boy does not love a superhero? One can see him wearing a spidermen outfit on sunny Chicago or Detroit afternoon. He goes to bed wearing his cape. One only need mention the names Superman, Spiderman, or Batman to elicit a grasp of rhapsodic joy from a boy’s lips and a glint of hope from his eyes.
Africa does not have a globally recognizable superhero to call her own. She does have a tradition of warriors who were imbued with powers and who were connected to the supernatural, often through ancestral sources of power within folklore. Shaka is one example of a celebrated warrior king. But Africa does not have a role model or super hero to inspire justice as strength in her young boys.
Generations of African boys have not been able to pick up a comic book or flip on the television to see a hero who embodies their world and their values. They have not had a super-being to fight for good, justice, and equality.
Generations of Western boys have been surrounded by a culture of consumerism that stresses a sense of material abundance as the ultimate prize. Many suffer from a sense of loneliness and isolation. The distractions of consumerism as a substitute for a supportive community, for strong male role models, or for initiation processes result in an inability to weather storms later on in life.
The structure of African community and the nature of her values will be reflected through the content of Amani. Deeply African notions — such as ubuntu, it takes a village to raise a child, and/or respect for Elders – will partially constitute the content. Entertainment carries the power of persuasion. It can promote self-determination and dignity, which can bring social change.
“I challenge Africa to speak its mind, to find the confidence to assert its views, even if others may disagree, for only then can there be true and honest debates and therefore a true partnership between the developed world and Africa.”
Human rights activist and former High Court judge of Botswana, Unity Dow
The need for honest debates and respect for Africa underpins the philosophy of this project.