On the Postcolony

         1 How does Mbebe differentiate between “person” and “slave”? (Mbebe, 2001: p. 235) 

—>     A slave is a ‘thing’ which is the body, the life, the work forenamed ‘slave’. The slave might be attacked and can be degraded. A person has the right to fight his/her will.

          2 How does Mbebe relate the ‘colonized individual’ to the animal?  Do you think this an effective analogy? (Mbebe, 2001: p.236)

—>     The colonised individual is being excluded from the human character. Mbebe says that the animal is a native. To him the native principle and the animal principle are not too different but the animal hasn't got a language to speak but has got senses (veins, muscles etc.) He criticises both animal and native to not being able to stand on their feet and says they are imperfect and cause errors etc. 

          To me he criticises animals and natives too much as no one is perfect. His analogy doesn't seem to be too effective to me. Surely everyone is different - doesn’t matter if a colonised individual or an animal and everyone has got different weaknesses and strengths.

3 “Colonization as an enterprise of domestication includes at least three factors:  the appropriation of the animal (the native) by the human (the colonist); the familiarization of man (the colonist) and the animal (the native); the utilization of the animal (the native) by the human (the colonist).  One may think such a process as arbitrary as it was one-dimensional, but that would be to forget that neither the colonist nor the colonized people emerge from the circle unharmed.  To this extent, the act of colonizing was as much an act of conviviality as an act of venality” (Mbebe, 2001: p.237).  What do you understand by this?  How could it be used to explain the ways in which ideas of culture are appropriated by global fashion systems? 

—>     The human being and animal are dependent on each other - thinking about global fashion - for sure the use of animal fur, leather of any sort of animal + their production is very important for our fashion market. First animal are used as conviviality then the process of venalty comes in when producing for clothes.

     4   “The colonized individual – the object and the subject of venality –introduced himself into the colonial relationship by a specific art, that of doubling and the simulacrum…” (Mbebe, 2001: p.237)  Referring back to last week’s lecture on postmodernity and thinking of the idea of the ‘simulacrum’ specifically – what do you understand by Mbebe’s argument here? 

—>     The idea of simulacrum especially in fashion is used quite a bit - maybe a material looks like a great quality leather but is actually is only the shine and it was produced in bangladesh by cheap labour. People mostly don't know about that.

           I don’t think the act of ‘simulacrum’ is good at all. Humans think they are getting some great garment but the signs showing the greatness might all be false.

 5        Mbebe asks, “Can we really talk of moving beyond Colonialism?” (Mbebe, 2001: p.237).  What do you think?

—>     I think we could overcome it by using concepts from postcolonism like using principles from Africa’s intelligence as Mbebe argues.

6, 7        What does Mbebe mean by “The Process of Becoming Savage?” (Mbebe, 2001: p. 238) 7 Mbebe writes that the age of unhappiness was also a “noisy age of disguise..” (Mbebe, 2001: p.238).  What do you understand by this, especially in terms of postmodernity and postcolonialism?

—>     Mbebe talks about power and existence and the nervous exhaustion but this can be defeated by the individual throughout the process of becoming savage. People can carve away any weakness that is there with will and power.

           The time of unhappiness is like a tidal wave Mbebe describes which lasts for a while like postmodernity does. Modernity is defined as a period or condition identified with the era. 

8 How do you understand Mbebe’s phrase, “The spectacle of a world marked by unbridled license”? (Mbebe, 2001: p.239)

—>     He means corruption by unbridled license when men and women change forms and languages. They are filling the world with terror he says.

9        “In fact, both in the light of the advancing world and in everyday interactions with life, Africa appears as simultaneously a diabolical discover, an inanimate image, and a living sign” (Mbebe, 2001: p. 240).  What do you understand by this idea and do you agree?  (Think of postmodernity and semiotics particularly). How do depictions of Africa in fashion contribute to your understanding of Mbebe’s idea?

—>     Mbebe means that Africa has its own spirit like by having their hieroglyphs, masks and wild animals like leopards - he criticises that the culture is not integrating enough with other parts of the world it is like a living sign. I personally think own cultures should be kept but I partly agree with his argumentation in having a bit more of an interaction.  With fashion it is the same garments and fabrics produced in Africa or Europe/ etc should be exchanged more - there should be more of a global market which will help our generation to stick together.

10. Mbebe writes, “Thus we must speak of Africa only as a chimera on which we all         work blindly, a nightmare    we produce and from which we make a living – and which we sometimes enjoy, but which somewhere deeply repels us, to the point that we may evince toward it the kind of disgust we feel on seeing a cadaver…” (Mbebe, 2001: p.241) – What do you understand by this? 

—> The text says that Africa only exists as an absent object which I find very rude to say as Africa clearly is a continent on our planet earth so it belongs to us. I don't think it is right to be using Africa for making profit for us and keep using it in that sense!

        

11. How does Mbebe suggest we understand the term, “Africa” (Mbebe, 2001: p. 242)?  Do you agree?  How does this relate to the ways in which you believe “Africa” is communicated in contemporary Fashion? Mbebe describes the term Africa as only existing of disconnections, colours, costumes, forgotten things etc. which is a sad description for a country who has its own strength. The colour use in fabrics for garments is beautiful to my eyes for example in Marakakesh where I went during the summer. There are some contemporary African designers such as Christie Brown Sindiso Khumalo.