Reflections on Mali video

I hope you enjoyed the video that we watched, "Living Memory" by Susan Vogel. I've been reflecting on it and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. Even though the narration is pretty minimal, the underlying messages are quite rich.

Did you notice the range of views about adaptation and cultural change? The movie began by mentioning that conversion to Islam is undermining the presence of traditional faiths. One of the interviewees commented, "The days follow one another but they are not alike." Later in the video, someone complained about Malians moving to the cities who think they are "black Europeans."

Elsewhere in the video we saw evidence of the past and the present coexisting comfortably. For example the preservation of the mosque, whose construction predates Islam, is widely celebrated in the community. And the vendor said his items are "not just for whites," that locals should buy them to preserve their culture. I also noticed the reference to the "civil wedding" -- many Africans will have a traditional ceremony in addition to the church ceremony.

We're left with ideas of "progress" and modernization here, which allow us to explore how "tradition" can be such a contested term. I hope you enjoyed the film!