GLOBAL VILLAGE: What I mean!

What follows was a correspondence between me and a German High School Teacher over a poem of mine titled Global Village which was published in Across Cultures, a German High School English Text. Enjoy

Arne’s email

Dear Mister Adamu.

My name is Arne Opitz, I'm an English-teacher at an private school in germany. I'm very impressed by your poems especially by the "global village". If it is possible, I would use this poem in a class test next month. But there's a problem: there are several interpretations and several/different thoughts about the meaning of the poem by teachers of our school. I would be very pleased, if you are able to send me your interpretation of the poem so I could use this in the classtest. Many greetings Arne Opitz

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My response

Dear Arne,

I am so sorry to have taken this long to send you my interpretation of “Global Village” I was involved in organizing an annual convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors in my State, where I happen to be the Branch chairman, it is over now and here is my response.

I wrote Global Village in May 1999, as a result of a sudden realization that globalization is not just about making the world an easier place to communicate and interact, it is not about making nations to relate more closely or harmonizing world affairs in such a way that mankind would begin to feel a sense of belonging wherever he may be on the planet. I came to understand that Globalization is about other things that would in the end not necessarily be beneficial to the whole of mankind, but to some.
Now to the basics:

GLOBAL VILLAGE
though we are all humanwe are made to be differentby forces beyond our clout
Here, what I am trying to argue is the fact that although every human being on the planet is here not by choice but by design, we are created differently, what I mean here is the fact that we were created into different races and sexes. None of us decides of what race he or she was to be created, therefore, our making into different races and nations is a fate we all have to share as we do not have control over that. This is in the understanding that I belief in the existence of God the creator. Most importantly, we became also different based on where we are created and how our culture evolved. It then means that different people have different cultures and beliefs thus different world views. Despite all the differences we as humans and inhabitants of the planet earth share one common thing: Humanity!
yet they want remake usin a new image of their choicein a village too big to be safe
Despite the diversity in our world view, beliefs, culture and social backgrounds, some people (nations/countries/races/class) are now trying hard through various means (media, economy, politics, intimidation) to make everybody think and act like them. Everyone is now being influenced by some ideas and concepts, by decision made by some cliques and indeed every human being is becoming vulnerable to the decision of some countries (these countries are the economically and technologically more advanced). In this way, the whole world would one day become a super-state and countries may end up as local councils as any decision taken is binding on all nations and peoples.
the world they now calla single village in the globewith a big brother to match
The world as argued elsewhere is becoming a super State. I used Gorge Orwell’s concept of Big Brother used in his 1948 novel titled 1984. The idea here is countries like the United States is assuming a position of policing other countries, by so doing having a say on how countries are run politically. With their economic tools; The IMF and The World Bank, they dictate to countries (especially developing) how to manage their economies (whether the dictation is good to them or bad) as long as that in the end would benefit them (US & its allies). America has therefore become the Big Brother of the Global Village and as you know “The Big Brother is watching” always.
as long as we are second classwithin that large village fashionedwe should not be subjected tosomeone’s standardssomeone’s culturesomeone’s technologysomeone’s understandingsomeone’s world viewsomeone’s theories and concepts
Once developing countries accept the ideology of Globalization, they would definitely become susceptible to the ideas of these nations in such a way that their lives would be entirely dependent on whatever is decided for them. Developing countries would become second class citizens of the global village. Granted, developing nations may have to be within this village, if so, they should be allowed to be what they are or want to be, and must not be subjected to certain parameters set by others. For example, Developed countries should not imposed on the rest of the world what they things is good for them MUST also be good to others. They should not say for example their human rights standards must be so everywhere. They must not feel that their way of life is superior to that of other people and whosoever live contrary to their way is backwards. They must not insist that developing countries must modernize to be relevant, modernization comes in phases and developing countries should be allowed to follow those phases. Our world view and understanding may be related to our backgrounds, cultural and religious beliefs. Because of that, it is very impolite and unfair for someone born and bred in the occidental to begin to assess the way of life of some one in the oriental vis-visa. This is what bred intolerance and unnecessary labeling. Why should someone in the US for example tell a Muslim in Iran to be moderate, in essence, trying to re-interpret Islam to Muslims. Why should Israel refuse to abide by many UN resolutions and left unchallenged by the UN veto powers at the same time insisting that Iraq must abide by same UN resolutions and disarm or be face the consequences and insisting that the world must agree with this view as politically correct and civilized view. Finally concepts and theories may not necessarily have universal application, developing countries should not be “forced” to use theories conceived and develop elsewhere.
they try hard in harder waysto make us part of that villagebut we know we are differentand shall strive to leave outsidethat fashioned unsafe villageThe media is constantly being used to propagate to the world, the new worldview; the High Priests of this global village want to impose. People who resist this worldview are label as conservatives, terrorists, fundamentalists, racists, backward, dictators, enemies, and so on and so forth. People who accept the new worldview are seen and propagated as civilized, progressives, moderates, allies, friends, and so on.
Despite all the labeling, some principled peoples continue to resist any new world view or idea that is judged to deprive them of their identity. For example while some Muslim societies are viewed as Fundamentalists and uncivilized by some, an Egyptian intellectual Syed Qubt (now late) in his seminal book Milestones argued that any society that an Ignorant society takes the “form of a society in which belief in God is denied and human history explained in terms of `dialectical materialism’ and `scientific socialism’ becomes its system. Sometimes it appears in the form of a society, in which God’s existence is not denied, but His domain is restricted to the heavens and His rule on earth is suspended”. Qutb’s view is an alternative not a sole view, that is how other views must be weighted.

Finally, the poem is a protest against a single worldview and a hope that as diverse as human cultures are, so are their worldviews and understanding that is what would make the global village safe for everyone not its re-making in someone’s point of view.

Mr. Arne, this is a brief interpretation of the poem as I conceived it, however as I earlier wrote to you, the poem may have more meanings some of which I may agree with some of which I may not, but the final meaning rests with the reader as argued Robert Penn Warren “Every poem is in one sense a symbol, Its meaning is always more than it says to you-the writer, and more than it specifies directly to a reader”.

I hope you would be satisfied with the little explanation I am able to make, and as earlier requested, I would be pleased if you may wish to share with me the views and interpretations of the poem by other English teachers and your students, I would be glad. I look forward to hearing from you soonest.
Keep in touch.
Best wishes,

Dr. Yusuf Adamu

Note: Mr Arne had a ghastly motor accident, I am not sure if he survived it, but someone wrote to tell me so in 2005. I pray he made it. -Yusuf