Originally published in The Weekend section of The Tribune. Available online at: http://www.tribune242.com/photos/galleries/2015/sep/11/09112015-weekend/
The haka is a traditional genre of Māori dance. This picture dates from ca. 1845. ( - Australian National Library)
ATTITUDES towards culture are under the
spotlight this week in our podcast review – starting with Stride
and Saunter looking at cultural appropriation.
Stride and Saunter
While it may sound like a podcast for
those loving to go out walking, Stride and Saunter is a podcast
taking a mosey through a host of different issues – recent episodes
have included a review of the excellent Serial podcast series,
covered here previously, and an analysis of body language. Hosts
Hector Marrero and Kip Clark are explorers of philosophy and
communication – and their approach is very well shown by their
recent episode on cultural appropriation.
The culture in the spotlight is the
Maori culture, and the appropriation is that of the haka, the
traditional war cry and dance that has found its way into pre-match
performances by the New Zealand rugby team as well as a number of
tourist-targeted displays. Is it fair for the haka to be performed by
those for whom it does not have a cultural significance? What does
that mean for the culture?
Crucially for the discussion, the hosts
are talking about appropriation from the outside looking in – but
they are aware of that and frame the debate fairly. That's not an
easy thing, it's easy to be accused of pushing yourself into a debate
that is not your own in these circumstances, but that's a trap the
hosts neatly avoid while thoroughly discussing a subject that has
resonances in many other locations around the world.
This is a show to provoke thoughts, to
stir debate and never shying away from difficult subjects. Time well
spent.
Death, Sex And Money
The tension between different cultures
within the same country has also been at the heart of recent episodes
of Death, Sex And Money.
It's been ten years since Hurricane
Katrina ripped through New Orleans and the podcast – an offshoot of
radio outlet WNYC – visits the city to examine the aftermath and to
explore where the city is now.
Host Anna Sale interviews a number of
people from around the city – including medical staff, the coroner,
a gay man who performs as the “Queen of Bounce” and more. There's
a recurring theme of things not having pulled back around from the
storm's effects yet – asking why this hasn't been rebuilt yet, why
that clinic is still a temporary one, a questioning of what happened
to the city and memories of the immediate aftermath of the storm. The
coroner recalls being told effectively “You're it” when he asked
about medical support in the heart of the crisis, a nurse remembers
how she felt people would come to their rescue while her patients had
given up hope – only for her patients to be proven right and her to
feel a crushing sense that she had been clinging on to a feeling of
entitlement that came from her white background while her patients
had a more realistic understanding that they had been abandoned long
ago. It's heartbreaking to hear – and harder yet is the feeling
that while buildings have gone up since the storm, barriers have yet
to be broken down.
99% Invisible
Lastly, for a change of pace, try 99%
Invisible. It's about architecture. It's about psychology. It's about
how the former can shape the latter. The episode I listened to was
all about the use of concrete in architecture and how it's a
frightening material to use – because once you pour it, you're
done, you have to hope it works the way you intended. The show
insists that concrete is beautiful as a backdrop – considering some
of the monstrosities I've seen using the material, I'm not convinced,
but the reasoning is sound and the arguments delivered in a crystal
clear way. Worth a listen to get a different view of the world and
take notice of the 99% that is so often invisible to us all.
