Who are we?

He predicted that the media would be the extensions of men; it would extend sight, hearing and touch. Most interestingly back in the 1960’sMarshall McLuhan went on to stating that changes in communication technology inevitably produce profound changes in both culture and social order.

Well where are we today? Who are we really, or rather what have we become? Where do I even begin to let you in on our latest evolution…? We are movie stars, Hip Hop artists, and Hollywood citizens. We are what the media says we should be.

women on Heritage Day

 Indeed McLuhan was spot on! Yes we have been vacuumed into a Global village, which is controlled by technology and contains its own traditions and cultures. Sadly it is clear that our own traditions and cultures are slowly but surely fading away. We walk around speaking in the American accent, pants practically down on our knees, long silky weaves that run down our backs and all that you can think of. Don’t even begin to get it twisted, because there is nothing wrong with a bit of change now and then, new experiment here and there. But why have all these things robed us of our true identities? When did we even get to this point?

 I don’t know how badly you view this, but I for one refuse to see this as the point of no return. In a country that offers so much diversity, 11 official languages, different cultures and so much more. So sinceHaritage Day is just around the corner, Start thinking about how you will spend the day, take time to ask your elders where you originally come from and embrace who you really are. Just like the saying goes “in order to know where you going, you need to know where you come from”   

As for me personally, I am (clan names)

Mina ndzi gwana wa Njenjane,

Ngwana wa Ridlwane,

Ngwana wa Xichuhe,
ndzi Garixe
Nkuna Mavutane mavuta hiritwile

Vasiya matluka andleleni vuka vanakulorhi va tasala vutlula

And you are??? If you do not know, call your mother, father, an aunt or uncle. Proclaim who you are to the world and let us pride ourselves in being who we really are. To my brothers and sisters who do not have clan names, go ahead and express yourselves in any way you can. For the love of our true identities

ONLINE... where life is known to be

Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, e-mails, Google+, BBM or simply Whatsapp, our normal everyday lives just cannot seem to ever run smoothly without social networks. Indeed it has become impossible for the business world to function without the new media and its ever changing technology, but then what has really become of our interpersonal relationships such as              

·         Family

two people texting- png

·         Friendships

·         Lovers

Take time for a second and dig deep into your thoughts. When last did you remember a friend’s birthday without the help of a Facebook notification? How often do people meet (if not online) and actually get to know more of each other by spending time in the flesh? HARDLY! Today getting to know more of each other has become a BBM or Whatsapp activity than anything else. Well yes, our ways of living have changed in so many ways and we no longer live in the era of love letters. Even so, so much seems to have been left in that intimate era- that hardcore warm human love, that burning spirit of Ubuntu. Life today? Its only known to be online. Every hour life just seems to pass us by and many seem not to be bothered, real life just doesn't cut it anymore. Whether this new change is good or bad, It is really dependent on our different views of life.  

So when time is on your side, and life seems to have slowed down, take the time to watch the movie Disconnected, and see how your view on this newly discovered planet (he Internet) may change.  http://disconnectthemovie.com/#/about