Comments for Uneven Development: Listening to the 'South', Listening to Vancouver

Comment on The Colonial…Present? by burglar alarm leeds UK

burglar alarm leeds UK — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:09:41 +0000

burglar alarm leeds UK…

I came home to find a burglar in my kitchen. Although he didnt get anything I realised I needed a burglar alarm company in Leeds and immediately downloaded this free guide. It was a time and money saver….

Comment on China Olympic Games the death penalty by burglar alarm leeds

burglar alarm leeds — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:16:40 +0000

burglar alarm leeds…

I had a friend burgled in Leeds which prompted me into getting a burglar alarm. But I was amazed at the differeneces in prices and was worried I would be ripped off until I saw this free guide…

Comment on Music from the Global South: Amadou and Miriam by free piano sheets

free piano sheets — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:17:22 +0000

free piano sheets…

Hello I bookmarked this site. Thanks heaps for this!… if anyone else has anything, it would be much appreciated. Great website Super Pianoforte Links http://www.en.Grand-Pianos.org Enjoy!…

Comment on The Rape of a Nation – Congo by piano pl

piano pl — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:34:22 +0000

piano pl…

Hello Thanks heaps for this indeed!… if anyone else has anything, it would be much appreciated. Great website Super Piano Links http://www.en.Grand-Pianos.org Enjoy!…

Comment on Born into Brothels: Intervening in Narratives of the ‘Global South’ by Sara Koopman

Sara Koopman — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:37:05 +0000

thank you both for these careful thoughts – and Emma especially for finding and posting this letter!

Comment on Let Art Talk by Zack Kotilla

Zack Kotilla — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:51:01 +0000

While art can be used as a tool for communication, we must remember that within the Global North art is viewed as a commodity. In valuing the artisitc process within developing countries as a means through which the subaltern can speak, we are simply reinforcing our conception of art as a valued commodity. By imposing our values and exoticizing the artistic process, we interpret it in Western terms and therin lies potential for confusion as to the intended meaning of the art itself. Is it really theraputic to the people that are producing the art, or is it acting as a reassurance to the people producing this video so that they can feel better about a positive impact they may be having in these locales. Art can have a positive affect, conveying the emotions and experiences of the subaltern, but there is potential for the message of the art to be misinterpreted by the viewer, and the theraputic impact that we consider the art to possess may not be shared by the subaltern people who produce the art.

Comment on Selling the Subaltern by Zack Kotilla

Zack Kotilla — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:26:29 +0000

While Tim Horton’s is promoting themselves as a socially conscious company, improving the lives of historically marginalized coffee farmers, at the end of the day they’re still a business that must answer to investors and maximize their profit margin. It would be ideal for Tim Horton’s to participate in fair trade coffee but it would make it difficult for them to compete within the market. It seems a little dishonest for them to say that they are truly empowering the coffee farmers when they are not actually doing everything they can to do so but as it has been mentioned this is simply used as a marketing strategy to promote their business so I don’t really see the harm in it. While they could be doing more to help these workers, what they’re doing is better than nothing at all.

Comment on Walking on Water by Excellent Development – A skewed perspective? by Sophie Bown

Sophie Bown — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:08:16 +0000

Dear Tina and others,

Many thanks for your interest in and comments on our work. I want to assure you, as someone who worked with Excellent Development during the time in which this film was made, that no scripts were used in the interviews.

I find it surprising that you emphasise your desire to hear the ‘subaltern’ speak genuinely, yet when we have genuine interviews here you presume that they must be scripted, since they come across as being knowledgeable about the work they have done.

You are correct that the film is made by Excellent Development as a film about our work. It is not an independent assessment of our work, that would need to be made by someone else.

Our complete set of films is linked to above and, in particular in the Philosophy film, you will see interviews with female leaders within the community groups who have inspired us and many of their peers.

The work of Excellent Development is inspired by and led by Joshua Mukusya who started out by setting up a self-help group with 5 neighbouring families in his village in 1978, who came together to solve the problem of lack of water in their day to day lives. They succeeeded in doing this by building sand dams, and went on to help other communities nearby who had approached them for help. Excellent Development provides funds for this work to continue.

Our rapid growth in Kenya is a result of word of mouth. Farmers see the benefits that others are achieving and approach Excellent Development for support in their own communities. Our development approach is strictly based on people approaching us for help, rather than us looking for groups to fund. This ensures that beneficiaries are not ‘passive’ receviers of ‘aid’, but active agents and owners of their own development. We assist by helping farmers identify their own priorities and solutions and not imposing pre-conceived ideas. We seek to empower rather than dictate.

The title of the film ‘walking on water’ is a phrase borrowed from Joshua’s own comments within the film. Therefore I fail to see how we re-enforce colonial power differences by using it as the title, except of course in the eyes of the perceiver. If we had intended it to proclaim the ‘greatness’ of our work then yes of course that would have been incredibly patronising.

I thank you for your comments and hope this helps your understanding of the background of this film.

best wishes
Sophie Bown
Communications Manager
Excellent Development

Comment on Zotero Help Post by Dylan Jones

Dylan Jones — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:59:38 +0000

Make sure you have the beta not the full version installed! That was the main problem for me, after that go into the tools tab and then click add-ons. Hit options and that is where you can access sync options. Then follow Sara’s directions for adding the library to your own library.

Comment on Zotero Help Post by Dylan Jones

Dylan Jones — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:44:41 +0000

I also am logged in, is that the same as having an account?
Also where would this green arrow be if I were looking for it?

This is so frustrating!