The term global village has become a household name among us. Like many other things, we have grabbed and swallowed it hook, line and sinker, mainly because the idea came to us from the West, the people we cannot say no to, no matter what. I am not averse to the idea of the entire world assuming the status of one village but I think we need to examine the true meaning of this concept so as to relate to it in the most reasonable way that will be profitable and realistic.
The concept of global village simply means that owing to improved information technology, communication between people in different parts of the world, irrespective of distance, has been made easy and much faster than ever before. The implication is that distance is no longer a barrier to business, relationships and other human interactions so long as one is able to hook up to the new media. This phenomenon can be positive especially to people who are well grounded in the positive lifestyles and cultures of their people. It can however be disastrous for people who are shallow and easily carried about by every wind that blows.
Whether we like it or not, there are positive and negative habits, most of which are learned from people with whom we have contact one way or the other. This virtual closeness which the new media offers makes it easy for us to be in close contact with people from all continents of the world. We are given the opportunity to learn new crafts, new ways of doing old things, new habits and practices.
This opportunity to share knowledge and experience is responsible for the epidemic of strange habits among us. Many people hide under the cloak of global village to indulge in obscenities such as walking the streets half naked, abuse of hard drugs, gutter language use and indecent music and dance. Every society has its norms and values that define its people but when suddenly, these norms are eroded for no justifiable reason, such a society is threatened with destabilization and chaos.
The concept of global village does not in any way, negate the fact that the world is made up of several distinct societies. There is a saying that the person that allows himself to be deceived becomes the loser. If you lose your identity in the name of global village, you are the loser. If you sacrifice your language and culture in the name of complying with the global trend, you are playing the global fool.
If you watch closely, you will realize that various people groups use the new media platform to sell their ways of life to the rest of the world. People use it to teach their language and invite the world to learn. Others use it to advertise their festivals so that the rest of the world can invest in their tourism sector. Some people who understand the game use the concept of global village for economic and other social advantages. They grow their economies at the expense of other follow-follow people who are just excited to be part of the global community, but have nothing original to sell.
I met an important Igbo man who visits Europe and America regularly. He believes that wearing suits and striving to speak and act like the white man are key to becoming accepted as a global citizen. Many other Africans believe this fallacy. Some even take the foolishness further by bleaching their skin and doing plastic surgery to re shape their faces to resemble the people they wish to ape.
Contrast this with another great man I know who also travels abroad a lot but usually in the typical Igbo attire. He told us that many people meeting him for the first time would greet him like a king, hailing him as Igwe. When he inquired, they told him that they assumed he was a king based on his attire which was like the kings and elders as portrayed by our local film industry.
The first man who subsumed his identity and culture in order to impress oyibo will always be seen as a wannabe. Even the people he is striving to impress will always see him as an insecure copycat. He may get what he wants in terms of business or whatever but he will never be treated as a king!
The man who is bold enough to answer his name and represent his people even in the home of foreigners will have people bowing to him and respecting him deeply. They are amazed and awed at his distinctly different appearance and are curious to know more about him and his people. Their questions about his people afford him the opportunity to tell foreigners about the wonderful things that make his people great. He may even get some of them sufficiently interested to spending their vacation in his land, thereby boosting his home economy. Now if these two people are ambassadors sent by their people to the global market, who among them do you think succeeded in buying something reasonable for his people?
The concept of a global village is fantastic but we must not let it swallow us up. We must understand what is at stake. Our integrity as a distinct people is at stake, unless of course, we have decided to remain global slaves for the rest of our existence. The internet is a major player in the phenomenon of global village. It is a platform that must be approached with care and circumspection. No wonder we hear of some countries banning certain browsing sites in their countries and generally restricting the use of the internet. The leaders of these countries are conscious of how critical the new media platforms are in shaping the views of their people and how they can affect the level of patriotism they exhibit.
I believe there is need to embark on some kind of education and sensitization of the people on the correct use of the internet. Since very young, impressionable people have access to the internet in our society, the school curriculum should provide some kind of guidance to prepare them for the challenges of the social media.
We must start in time to guard against the erosion of ideas, values and norms that the social media represent. The idea of patriotism is also endangered if most users of the internet are not grounded in diplomacy and global economic realities. The global village concept is a reality but must we sacrifice our identity and integrity to be part of it? I don’t think so.
NNENNA Ihebom
