I was very excited in this assignment to be asked to represent the Global System as a visual. This is not a difficult concept for me, as oftentimes I imagine things in this way. I find it easy to translate my thoughts into visual representations and in doing so, I can clarify my ideas and thoughts. I came to class confident and happy with my representation. However, my classmates came to class with a much different representation than mine. One person drew a prison and one person used an image of a desolate island. I represent the system as a sort of oasis and paint it in a very positive light.
I drew a refugee in the center of many different protective factors: the UNHCR, the UN Legal Agreement, NGOs, churches, communities, concerned individuals, and agencies. The 2018 Global Compact on Refugees shines down upon the scene. I represented the media as a rain cloud, showering the setting with its own imposing narrative.
When I asked peers of mine to interpret my drawing, I was told that the mountains looked like they were blocking or trapping someone in. One friend asked why I represented the media as rain when instead it should be something scarier- they suggested a tiger. Another friend said that the refugee seems barricaded, rather than protected. They continued on to say that even if the surrounding things intended to be protective, they were at the same time greatly dominating. She also viewed the “media” cloud as the overarching narrative regarding refugee matters that all people could see. Not everyone has a view of the trees, the mountains or the refugee themselves, but they can see the clouds. I like this interpretation.
I believe that I tried to represent the Global System in terms of its intentions, whereas some of my classmates represented the outcomes of the System instead.
