Author: shanzenaim

The Struggle between Dominance and Freedom.

While speaking of national liberation, Cabral uses culture to explore how ideas such as freedom, oppression and dominance can be sought and manipulated.  He examines the power structures in place in colonial rule, both between the colonizers and colonized and within the natives and what part culture can play to either enforce or dismantle these relationships.

Cabral describes culture as something fluid that can be altered or controlled.  According to him, the success of colonial powers depends on their ability to either crush the culture of their native subjects, or manipulate it to their use. He views the local culture as an extremely important force, as it is the driving factor behind the movements that seek to oppose and overthrow the foreign rulers. The culture is what unites and motivated the people, providing them the strength and inclination to stand up against colonial rule, which is why it must be disassembled as much as possible to ensure a successful reign. It can be manipulated to control the local population as well, such as the example given by Cabral of how Europeans ruled through chiefs and royals, using their already existing influence in their societies. Thus, Cabral defines the local cultures as weapons of both the oppressors and the oppressed.

Cabral also emphasizes on the importance of culture in terms of how it contributes to the society. He defines a dual relationship between the history and culture of the area, that is the past of the people of a particular region is what shapes the culture. The culture provides a lens through which we can view the past conflicts of our society, the struggles that have taken place and how they have been overcome. It shows the evolution of the society. To know and understand the culture of another region makes it easier to control, which is why Cabral states that there is a greater chance of success in ruling over people with a similar culture. Cabral speaks of it as one of the most important tools in the struggle between dominance and freedom.

Dada’s life conforming to Sukarno’s vision

Dada’s account of his life in Moscow and the reasons behind his attraction to the communist party provide a practical example of Sukarno’s view of the new decolonized world. While addressing the Badung Conference, Sukarno lays special emphasis on his ideas of how to proceed with the new found freedom the people recently achieved. He highlights the problem among the people to be their difference in terms of desires, but denounces the idea that any other type of differences that come at the time of birth should be the reason behind any strife between individuals or nations. According to him prevention of future conflict and war depends on the ability of the people to accept diversity and still unite to live in peace. I was skeptical of the practicality of his approach, but reading Dada’s account has alleviated some of my concerns.

When Dada leaves his life in the United States to study in Moscow, he is attracted to the difference in the culture in terms of how the citizens coexist. At several instances, he points out the attitudes of the native people towards those of different color, race, region etc and compares it to the way society in the United States functioned. For example, he notices interracial couples which would be unacceptable back home, and declares despite being considered a civilized state; the US was run on “prejudice” and “taboos”. The bigotry that he both witnessed and experience due to being a foreigner with a darker skin color greatly contrasted how he was ingrained into the community in Moscow due to his contributions to the society, despite being a foreigner. The equality he was given, along with judgment for his actions rather than the color of his skin greatly encouraged him to join the efforts of the USSR.

Dada’s decisions and the life path he chose due to the differences in the two societies can be a model of how Sukarno’s vision may come to life. The life and world view he described could possibly limit conflict and promote peace if it is implemented in the way it can influence people the way Dada was influenced. The memoir shows how it is a reasonable plan with expected success, and negates the difficulties I was expecting in terms of having a whole community conform to such an accepting social attitude.