Post :#7:Lost of culture through Globalisation

Everything "Glocal"!!!

Although the "culture" of Trinidad and Tobago is very diverse and reflects the influence of African, Indian, Amerindian, Chinese, British, French and to a lesser extent Spanish and Portuguese, of recent, this "trini" culture as we know it, is slowly fading away due the the increased paste of globalization. Globalization in simple terms is referred to the movement of the world’s nations towards some sort of global village, characterized by advanced technology, and rapidly expanding economic and political interdependence. According to Giles Mohan, in his 2000, journal article, pages 121-133,globalization is an inevitable and technologically determined process where political influence is used to facilitate and intensify this process. It is the powerful discourses of an apparent globalization that help create the conditions in which further globalization can occur. Many may argue that it is through globalization that we got out culture by saying that "Globalization is as old as Colonialism", however, this was the basis on which our culture grew. We did not remain with any specific culture from those days. It grew and emerged further through globalization and now that culture is also being detached from our daily lives. 

One influential reading of the relationship between global markets and consumption practices according to Giles Mohan in "Dislocating Globalisation: Power, Politics and Global Change- pg123" is the 'McDonaldisation Thesis' (Ritzer, 1996a,b). Contrary to the idea that globalisation is uneven, Ritzer suggests that we are moving towards a Weberian state of 'rationality', only it is not the bureaucracy that oversees this process, but institutions fashioned after the fast food chain. Ritzer argues that McDonaldisation is: 'the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world' (Ritzer, 1996a, p. 1)

Lost of local Cuisine by  Mc Donaldisation in Trinidad through the Urban areas

Subway, Mc Donalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mc Cafe and Burger King are all representatives of Transnational Co-operations(TNCs). These are Bad! All, or most of the profits are returned to the home country. The collage above displays how Trinidad and Tobago is being bombarded by these companies and one of our important cultural aspects, our local cuisine is being discarded while promoting an unhealthy lifestyle among our population. The local or creole food industry in Trinidad and in the City, in particular, is under intense competition as owners are forced to meet the appearance standards of these TNCs and as a result, the prices of local food are ridiculous, so much so, that even the locals could barely afford and hence, they revert to the cheaper, unhealthy, foreign foods.

According to Giles Mohan in "Dislocating Globalisation: Power, Politics and Global Change- pg124", one of the key mechanisms for linking market ideology with material exchanges is the notion of branding.

As seen in the photo, in addition to the lost of local cuisine, is the lost of culture with respect to local clothing and fashion. Even the local malls are being filled with foreign "brand name" clothing companies such as The London Clothing Company, Kenneth Cole, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and Puma. 

Imagine even "Our very own cultural festival, Carnival" is being influenced causing it to lose its originality and identity. Foreigners around the world fly in straight to the capital city of Port-of-Spain for carnival, however the various original elements of Carnival, from the steel pan to calypsonians, soca and mas costumes, are now being altered to suit the foreigners' tastes.

Trinidad Carnival Mas, with costumes similar to that of Brazil.

The costumes are following the style of Brazil more and more each year, while the local costume makers are going out of business as they are now being made in other parts of the world, traditional carnival characters are soca music is only heard during the season instead of throughout the year. Eventually Trinidad will have NO CARNIVAL!

Local Mas Camp now almost closing down as
Masqueraders are playing with more Globalized costume designs.

Of particular interest in understanding the spread of global markets is the notion of 'mediascapes'. This refers to the distribution of information and knowledge through mainly electronic media and, crucially, the 'images of the world created by these media' (Appadurai, 1990, p. 299).d. Appadurai writes: 'Global advertising is the key technology for the world- wide dissemination of a plethora of creative, and culturally well-chosen, ideas of consumer agency. These images of agency are increasingly distortions of a world of merchandising so subtle that the consumer is consistently helped to believe that he or she is an actor, where in fact he or she is at best a chooser' (Appadurai, 1990, p. 307) - Giles Mohan in "Dislocating Globalisation: Power, Politics and Global Change- pg124

Sweet Soca is what the whole World need!