Sunday 27 December 2009

Global Village

Which one would you have?

Global Village
or
Globalisation? These terms are used interchangeably or synonymously - we constantly hear through the media that we live in a global village or that globalisation is upon us - it's rather clichéd, either way. But, if given a choice, I wish we had the global village approach rather than a globalisation approach. Think of all the things that a village contains - a micro economy, a sense of community, a shared sense of responsibility and a sense of unity or togetherness. Contrast that with globalisation, which is often understood to be the rise in monopolies out to exploit every corner of the planet. Perhaps that view is pessimistic, but I still vote for the village approach.

The Global Village, rather like a mela/global shopping fair sits just outside Dubai on Route 311 - Emirates Road. It runs, as in previous years, between November and February and I was there twice this weekend. The village is made up of pavilions with country themes - Egypt, India, Iran etc. where crafts, clothes and foods are sold. There's also entertainment - we saw a magnificent dervish from Morocco, who really stood out. I missed the photo op, but the performance was fantastic. Anyway, here are pics showing the Pakistan and Afghanistan pavilions.

6 comments:

  1. I prefer the village as well. There's nothing like it! The peace, the community, the togetherness - too beautiful to stay intact for too long. Alas!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alas indeed, Qrratugai. I really want to be able to soak in the peace and tranquility at some point, InshAllah.

    May Allah make all our endeavours come true.

    Take care and keep on visiting InshAllah.

    ReplyDelete
  3. proud to be the organizer of Afghan pavilion.I annually lose so much to gain the title of Afghan organizer.. I dont know why the aghans in dubai never support me to make this place even bigger and more beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  4. It says KFC and other such corporations sponsered the event. Certainly there´s no better example of globaisation than a giant multinational fast food chain.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not keen on the whole globalisation thing at all. The mega-capitalists will try to get in and dare I say, "control" an event like the Global Village, but overall, it does provide an outlet for mid-size traders and it is a showcase of both commerce and art (in the form of folk performances). So far, the global village has managed to keep some of the more plastic aspects of Dubai at arms length, but we all know that multinationals will try to sponsor these events as part of their marketing.

    With the local and international foods on offer who needs multinational burger and fried chicken junk?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Salaamoona Angar, Dera Manana chi pa de zay ki tasu qadam yakhowde de ... Bas dua kawom chi tasu kamyab hosay. Afghan Pavillion der khwand rawkawee ...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...