"Cultured"
From The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History by James Hall (London: Thames & Hudson, 2016), pp. 77/564 (ePub edition):
A moment later, and his piercing gaze will be gone – perhaps following the light that streams in from his right. He is a man who sees things – himself included – in close-up, but without losing track of the bigger picture.
What do people mean when they say that someone is cultured? As usual, ‘cultured’ is one of those words that you think you know until someone asks you to explain it. Interestingly, people use it to mean different things. The few times I have heard the word used to describe someone, it could mean that the person is well-educated, has good manners, has a deep knowledge of art and literature, dresses well, has travelled extensively, and keeps abreast of happenings around the world. Culture without the ‘d’ refers to the way of life shared by a group of people. This includes their art, values, beliefs, language, custom, behaviours, and habits – in short, the whole works. To be cultured therefore means that you know quite a lot about some of the practices of your group. We can say “youth culture” to talk about how young people do things, “prison culture” to talk about how people in prison do things, and “workplace culture” to talk about how people at work or organisation do things. These words help us understand exactly which group we are talking about. Some groups might even reward you with status and/or wealth, since you can be considered a custodian of that group’s knowledge. So the more understanding you have about a culture, the more power, rewards and access you can unlock. For instance, if your workplace rewards the most competitive, brashest, vicious, and unfeeling individuals with positions of power, it sends a message that exhibiting such behavior will lead to the those positions and compensation. As a result, many people start adopting these behaviors to advance in the organisation. Those who refuse to play the game either have to endure tyranny or leave the organisation. Although it is meant as a compliment, when someone says to a non-white person – even if the person who says it is non-white – that they are cultured, what they mean is that the person they are referring to is very knowledgeable about the behavior, problematics, aspirations, and some of the cultural products of the “global north.” I’ll touch on the global south and global north tags one day but that day is not today. 🍒
Anyway, what is implied is that you have read some of the books you should read, watched some of the films you should watch, listened to some of the albums you should hear before you die, and know what is happening in other parts of the world but not what is happening outside your window. You travel to a few capitals to do touristy things and dress in a manner that doesn’t draw attention. These days, they call it “quiet luxury” or “old money aesthetics.” You know Shakespeare and can speak some or all of the dominant languages. What this means is that you have downloaded the codes and symbols of other cultures but failed to upload your own, or even worse, replaced it altogether. When certain people ask how many languages you speak, they don’t mean the ones spoken in their country; they typically refer to the dominant languages of the global North – English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, or perhaps Portuguese. Even if you speak multiple languages, they don’t count as a language in their eyes. I have been living in South Africa for a while now, but I find myself wanting to learn French rather than Zulu. Why? Because knowing French adds to my "cultured" reputation. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. I'm more familiar with Western art and artists than African ones. I engage more with Western culture and less with African culture. When recommending cultural products to others, I tend to suggest non-African ones because I know more about them. I am more like a consumer, downloading products of the dominant culture, rather than an uploader, who creates and promotes products from cultures that have been pushed to the sidelines. Let's be clear, I'm not saying it has to be either/or; it's more about “and” – embracing both. 📍
To be cultured means placing the same emphasis on one's own culture as you place on other cultures. If someone is African, it's important for them to have a deep understanding of as many African cultures as possible. You should cherish and make what is unique to your culture just as compelling. Spend time learning about your culture and engage with your own culture and cultural products with the same intensity and delight. Some African cultures and countries are quite good at introducing the young and others to their art, knowledge, and way of being. Besides that, more websites, magazines, shows, and podcasts should be created to inform us about African cultural products and producers, making them easier to discover and engage with. Many African cultural products exist; we just need to work on creating distribution structures for them. Additionally, we should monitor how those products are used to ensure that royalties are paid, thereby ensuring that the owners, creators, and communities benefit from what is uniquely theirs. Content is the new capital, and this time, Africans should take the lead in creating the necessary structures to monetize all the future creations that will emerge from the continent. Unlike oil and other minerals, which, for various reasons I won't delve into, were exploited by others, let's not forget the ineptitude of many African leaders who failed to act responsibly by judiciously using the revenue generated from those exports. I hope that doesn't happen with cultural products. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but when I see photographs taken of people in certain communities and those photos are sold, I often wonder if those communities received some form of compensation. OR did the photographer just exploit the community for the photographer’s benefit? For me, I'd say categorically that if you go to any African community, take a photo, and intend to make money from those images, you will have to compensate those communities. I remember Tiffany Zhong saying on a podcast that the difference between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is that in Web 2.0, it was 'my Lamborghini,' but in Web 3.0, it's 'our Lamborghini.' I am thinking along those lines for Africa. We get to benefit from what we make and also when others use what is ours. 🌶️
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)