The Global South in International Development | Rafia Afsar | TEDxBergenCountyAcademies

Summary

In this talk, Rafael, a 23-year-old Indian working in international development, challenges the stereotypical portrayal of developing countries as impoverished and in need of saving. He discusses the historical roots of international development, which often perpetuated power imbalances and dependencies. Rafael advocates for a more inclusive and empowering approach to development, emphasizing the need to address global issues collectively and to recognize the existence of developmental problems in both developing and developed countries. He calls on the new generation to reshape the narrative around development to achieve true equality and global progress.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The speaker, Rafael, emphasizes the pervasiveness of stereotypical images of impoverished children from developing countries in media, which can evoke mixed emotions of sadness, guilt, and discomfort.
• 🎥 The impact of movies like 'Slumdog Millionaire', despite their acclaim, is critiqued for reinforcing negative stereotypes of countries like India, overshadowing their complexities and realities.
• 🌱 Rafael, with experience in international development, challenges the one-dimensional portrayal of the 'global south' as merely impoverished, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of these regions.
• 🏛️ The historical roots of international development are explored, highlighting how it was used as a tool by colonial powers to impose their values and create dependencies, which still influences current perceptions.
• 🔄 The transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is discussed, noting the shift towards more inclusive and globally shared responsibilities.
• 🌱 The speaker calls for a reevaluation of the narrative around development, urging for a focus on empowering local governments and leaders in developing countries rather than perpetuating a savior-victim dynamic.
• 🌍 The importance of recognizing that development issues are not confined to the 'global south' is stressed, with the speaker pointing out that problems like poverty and inequality exist in developed countries as well.
• 📽️ The speaker criticizes the continued use of stereotypical images of developing countries in development discussions, suggesting that this practice overlooks the diversity and complexity of these regions.
• 💡 Rafael encourages the audience, particularly the younger generation, to rethink their perceptions of development and to use their influence to reshape the narrative, promoting a more equal and informed dialogue.
• 🌟 The ultimate goal of international development, as presented by the speaker, is to achieve a state where all countries have equal living standards, which requires challenging and changing the current power imbalances and stereotypes.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker raises about the portrayal of developing countries in media?

The speaker raises the issue of stereotyping developing countries as impoverished and in need of saving, which perpetuates a power imbalance and overlooks the complexity and diversity of these nations.

How does the speaker feel when he encounters visuals of impoverished children from developing countries?

The speaker feels a mix of sadness, guilt, and discomfort, as these visuals often oversimplify the reality and reinforce stereotypes.

What impact did the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' have on the speaker's perception of his home country, India?

The movie increased the stereotype of India as a poor country with widespread slums, which the speaker found both incorrect and uncomfortable, as it painted an incomplete picture of his country.

What is the historical context of international development mentioned by the speaker?

The speaker mentions that international development has roots in colonialism, where western imperial countries used development as a tool for conquest and resource extraction.

What is the 'White Man's Burden' and how does it relate to the speaker's discussion?

The 'White Man's Burden' is a poem by Rudyard Kipling that encourages western intervention in non-western societies for 'civilizing' them, which the speaker relates to the historical roots of international development and the perpetuation of stereotypes.

What is the difference between the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals as discussed by the speaker?

The Millennium Development Goals were primarily focused on developing countries and specific issues like health, education, and poverty. In contrast, the Sustainable Development Goals are more inclusive, addressing a broader range of themes and are intended to be global goals applicable to all countries.

Why does the speaker argue that the portrayal of development issues should not be limited to developing countries?

The speaker argues that limiting the portrayal of development issues to developing countries perpetuates the stereotype that these problems do not exist in developed countries, which is not true and hinders a holistic approach to solving global issues.

What is the speaker's suggestion for a more equitable approach to international development?

The speaker suggests empowering local governments and grassroots leaders in developing countries, acknowledging the imperialistic nature of current development practices, and focusing on the issues rather than the geographical location.

How does the speaker feel about the continued use of stereotypical images of developing countries in development discussions?

The speaker is frustrated and believes that the continued use of such images reinforces harmful narratives and overlooks the presence of similar issues in developed countries.

What does the speaker encourage the audience to do in order to change the narrative around development?

The speaker encourages the audience to think critically about development issues, consider the context and history of the problems, and to use their influence, particularly through social media and technology, to reshape the narrative and promote a more inclusive and accurate understanding of global development.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Stereotypes in International Development

The speaker, Rafael, introduces the topic of pervasive stereotypes in global development narratives. He discusses the discomfort caused by images of impoverished children from developing countries, which are often used to evoke guilt and sadness. Rafael shares his personal experiences and insights from a decade of work in international development, emphasizing the problematic portrayal of the 'Global South' as solely impoverished and in need of saving. He critiques the film 'Slumdog Millionaire' for perpetuating stereotypes about India, leading to misguided perceptions and questions about his home country.

05:03

📚 The Historical Roots of Development and Power Imbalance

Rafael delves into the historical context of international development, highlighting its roots in colonialism and imperialism. He explains how Western imperial countries used development as a tool for conquest, focusing on promoting religion, science, and 'civilized' living. He references Rudyard Kipling's poem 'The White Man's Burden' to illustrate the condescending and paternalistic attitudes of the era. Rafael contrasts this with President Truman's post-WWII 'Four-Point Program,' which, despite its altruistic intentions, still positioned the US as a helper to 'underdeveloped' nations, reinforcing a power hierarchy.

10:03

🌱 Addressing Development Issues Beyond Colonial Mentality

The speaker suggests a shift in the approach to international development, advocating for a move away from the colonial mindset. He proposes empowering local governments and grassroots leaders in developing countries and supporting their initiatives rather than imposing solutions. Rafael also addresses the局限性 of international development's focus on the Global South, noting that issues like poverty and education are not exclusive to developing countries. He points out the irony of continued stereotypical portrayals at events like the Global Citizen Festival, which, despite promoting global goals, still perpetuate the narrative of the Global South as the sole bearers of development issues.

15:06

🌐 The Need for a Broader, More Inclusive Development Perspective

Rafael emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing development issues globally, not just in the Global South. He discusses the evolution from the Millennium Development Goals to the more inclusive Sustainable Development Goals, which are applicable to all countries. The speaker argues for a holistic view that considers the political, cultural, and historical contexts of development issues. He calls on the audience, particularly the younger generation, to challenge and reshape the narrative around development to avoid reinforcing stereotypes and to work towards a more equitable global society.

Keywords

💡Stereotypical portrayal

This term refers to the oversimplified and generalized depiction of people or places, often based on prejudiced or clichéd ideas. In the video, the speaker discusses how the Global South is often portrayed in a stereotypical manner as impoverished and in need of saving, which is illustrated by the speaker's discomfort with how India is perceived post the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

💡Global South

The Global South is a term used to describe countries in the southern hemisphere that are generally considered developing or less economically developed. The video discusses the historical and ongoing stereotypes associated with these countries, emphasizing the need to move beyond these stereotypes to address real development issues.

💡Imperialistic development

Imperialistic development refers to the approach where more developed countries impose their ideas of progress and civilization onto less developed ones, often with an underlying power imbalance. The video script mentions how historical roots of development work were tied to colonialism and how this legacy continues to influence current development practices.

💡Dependency

Dependency in the context of the video refers to the situation where developing countries become reliant on developed countries for aid and assistance, which can perpetuate a cycle of inequality. The speaker argues against this dependency, advocating for empowerment of local governments and leaders in developing countries.

💡Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The MDGs were a set of eight international development goals established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, with a deadline of 2015. The video script contrasts the MDGs with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the former's focus primarily on developing countries.

💡Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations to address a broad range of sustainable development issues by 2030. The video emphasizes the inclusiveness of the SDGs, which are applicable to all countries, not just the Global South, and cover a wider range of issues including climate, economy, and social justice.

💡Power imbalance

Power imbalance refers to the unequal distribution of power between different entities, in this case, between developed and developing countries. The video discusses how international development has historically encouraged this imbalance, and how it can be addressed by recognizing and empowering local capacities in developing countries.

💡Grassroots leadership

Grassroots leadership involves local leaders who are closely connected to the communities they serve. The video script suggests that international development should focus on supporting and empowering grassroots leaders in developing countries, rather than imposing solutions from outside.

💡Cultural identity

Cultural identity refers to the unique cultural characteristics of a group of people, which may include their traditions, beliefs, and values. The video script criticizes the portrayal of developing countries that can overshadow their cultural identities by focusing solely on their poverty and need for assistance.

💡Narrative

In the context of the video, 'narrative' refers to the stories and perspectives that are commonly shared and accepted about a particular topic, in this case, development and the Global South. The speaker argues for changing the dominant narrative to one that is more inclusive and accurate, reflecting the reality that development issues are global and not confined to the Global South.

💡Vulnerable groups

Vulnerable groups are individuals or communities who are at a higher risk of facing challenges such as poverty, discrimination, or lack of access to resources. The video script points out that while it's important to acknowledge the existence of vulnerable groups in developing countries, it's also crucial to recognize such groups in developed countries to avoid perpetuating stereotypes.

Highlights

The discomfort and mixed feelings elicited by images of impoverished children from developing countries.

Rafael's introduction as a 23-year-old Indian with nearly a decade of experience in international development.

The influence of living in multiple countries on Rafael's perspective on global development issues.

The stereotypical portrayal of the 'global south' as impoverished and in need of saving.

The negative impact of 'Slumdog Millionaire' on the perception of India as a poor country.

The importance of not generalizing an entire nation based on specific negative aspects.

The historical roots of international development in western imperialism and the promotion of religion, science, and 'civilized' living.

Rudyard Kipling's 'The White Man's Burden' as a reflection of the colonial narrative of development.

President Truman's 'Four-Point Program' and its continuation of the colonial mindset in post-war development.

The power imbalance and hierarchy between developed and developing countries in international development.

The Millennium Development Goals' focus on developing countries and their limited success.

The Sustainable Development Goals' broader, more inclusive approach to global development issues.

The continued portrayal of developing countries as the sole bearers of development issues despite policy changes.

The need to shift the narrative from 'saving' developing countries to addressing global issues collectively.

The importance of acknowledging the existence of development issues in developed countries as well.

Encouraging the new generation to restructure the narrative of development and promote equality.

The call to action for individuals to change their perception and discourse around development to achieve global equality.

Transcripts

[Music]

how many of you have been in a situation

where you're scrolling through instagram

or scrolling through facebook

maybe you're watching tv or watching the

movies or

maybe you're just waiting for the ads to

load on youtube

or you're just sitting in the subway

okay and you come across the visual

and this visual is it could be a picture

it could be a video but this visual

is of a poor impoverished young child

that looks like it's probably from a

developing country looking at you

straight in the eyes

how many times or how many of you have

come across a visual like that

right see almost all of us

and visuals like this i have to admit

when i see visuals like this they make

me feel both

sad upset and guilty but also

uncomfortable and bothered at the same

time

good evening my name is rafael and i'm a

23 year old

indian who works in the international

development sector despite my young age

i have been involved in this sector for

close to a decade now

since i started leading community

development projects in bangladesh

while i was in high school and since

then i've worked in development in local

context

national context and international

context

and to add on to that i've had the

privilege of

living in seven developing and developed

countries which truly shaped

my perspective on the world and this is

important for you to know because

it's been this perspective of mine that

has shaped how i view development work

especially as someone again who has been

in a developing context

and also developed context

so growing up i came across a lot of

content

that would often portray the global

staff in very stereotypical

ways and when i say the global south i'm

referring to

countries that were previously referred

to as the third world but we stopped

using that term in the 80s

and now we call them the global south

and these are developing countries

that fall in the southern hemisphere of

the earth except for australia new

zealand so

this portrayal of the global south okay

there are many stereotypes that exist in

this but

most importantly we sometimes see the

stereotype of the global south as being

poor its people as being impoverished or

as

them being oppressed and requiring and

depending on our health

and this portrayal was bothered me okay

but

it truly started bothering me when this

movie came out

slumdog millionaire so despite the movie

having won

many oscars and having been critically

acclaimed

it also led to something else it led to

an

increase in the stereotype of india my

home country

as being poor as its people living in

slums and as there being a lot of

poverty

now please don't get me wrong i'm not

denying that these problems don't exist

in my country

they do but for us to go ahead and use

images like this

to wash over an entire cultural identity

a historical identity

a political identity of a country and

painted as just being poor

is simply wrong and since this has

happened

since the movie came out a lot of

individuals that once they find out that

i'm from india

they asked me about the poverty in india

the slums in india

and it does leave me feeling quite

uncomfortable the most recent of these

comments was from a colleague of mine

who in the past year told me that they

would never want their children

to visit india because it's just so

dirty you know

so dirty now i'm going to ask you a

question

is dirty and adjective that you would

use to describe the new york subway

yes yes so the new york subway is dirty

okay and now new york is inside of the

u.s

so based on the fact that the new york

subway is dirty

can i jump to the conclusion that the

u.s is dirty

no right that's too large of an

assumption to make and that's exactly

what's happening over here

but still i've convinced myself that

maybe

this was just me simply over examining

and overthinking things like i normally

do

especially as somebody millionaire was

the fieldwood movie of the decade

and indians seem to be happy with it it

brought our stars upon the stage

and it also won several oscars but

the more i kept on working in the

development sector

the more people that i met the more

professionals that i met who wanted to

go to africa and work in the field

or the more events i attended the more

reports i read i realized no

this is a reality and it's external to

me and we're just oblivious to it

so we're going to do a very quick

activity okay

i am going to say specific themes in

international development

and i see and as i say these themes i

want you to think about

first visuals that pop up in your head

we're not going to share them you're

just going to keep them in your head but

it will get

it will help you get a better idea of

this okay so the first one

is eradicating poverty okay so just take

a few moments to think about what comes

in your head

combating world hunger

providing access to an education

and others having access to clean water

okay

and here they are okay these four now

i'm pretty sure if not most of you at

least several of you must have gotten

images of you know

for black and ground kids from

developing countries in your head

and if you didn't i'm it's com i mean

i'm glad that you didn't but if you did

i don't want you to feel guilty or

embarrassed this is just the way many of

us have been influenced to think about

the world

and these developmental problems so we

collectively as a society have

internalized this narrative

internalize this portrayal of developing

countries

as being poor as problems only existing

in that part of the world not over here

and that's the problem it's a problem

because we whenever we think about

issues like poverty

or education or health or sanitation

we immediately think of poor countries

we don't think about what's happening

here

and i'm sorry

developing countries our own and

developed countries are only shown

when they're either providing us with

assistance when they're providing us

with aid

or we're on the or when they're on the

field actually helping people

but why is this a problem right now i

want you to know that

this issue there's so many different

layers to it you can really break it

down

and find so many things across it but

today i'm going to be focusing on

providing you with

two thoughts two ideas that will help

you at least have the foundation

to begin this talk to begin this

conversation with others around you

now the first claim or the first idea is

that given its historical roots

international development encourages the

existence of a power imbalance

and hierarchy between nations

now historically development is

something that a lot of

western imperial countries used to

impose

when they used to go on their conquest

to find more lands or to extract

resources

and when they used to do this their

agenda of development i would say used

to focus on three main things

okay so the first one was promoting

religion so teaching people about god

and our existence

then there was the idea of science and

knowledge of teaching people about what

is true what is not true what are facts

and then number three teaching people

how to live a civil life

how to live a proper life and there's a

poem

written by a man called rudyard kipling

who also wrote the jungle book

and it's called the white man's burden

and he wrote this in 1899

at a time when the us was about to annex

the philippines

and this poem i think really nicely

captures

the whole idea of this narrative that

needs to exist

with the western imperial powers so in

the poem

kipling is basically encouraging people

in the us to enroll themselves in the

army

to go to the philippines and to help

quote the half

devil and half child people living in

the philippines and that is extremely

disrespectful

now at the same time he was also

encouraging people to go and basically

civilize the people

help them get rid of the famine help

them get rid of the diseases

right so creating this dependency of

people living in that part of the world

to those people living in the western

part of the world

now we're going to fast forward and come

to the end of the war okay

colonization has happened the wars have

ended colonies are now starting to

demand their independence

and the u.s has emerged as a global

hegemonic power

it's 1949 and president truman is giving

his inaugural speech

which has famously been coined the

four-point program okay and we

are concerned with point number four and

this is what he said

so in his in his address uh president

truman

basically says that the u.s now you know

have with the war having been finished

uh the u.s must now use

its knowledge its scientific knowledge

its technical assistance

and provide that to individuals who

elevated underdeveloped underdeveloped

parts of the world

and in this he justifies this by saying

well

half more than half of the world

currently lives in madrid they have

poverty

and this poverty is a threat it

handicaps them they don't have good

economies

and on top of that he also says that in

order to help them realize the potential

that their lives could have

we need to go and help them we need to

go and provide them with this assistance

and at the same time the us should work

with other countries

who are also in this position to help

them

again achieve this and also we should be

working with the un

and its agencies so ultimately we can

have a world

where we have peace we have plenty and

we have freedom

government has colonial roots right

because what we see is that in the

pre-war period we had the

colonizers versus the ones that they

were colonizing and now

after the war we have developed

countries working with the countries

that are developing

right so okay and so we get that there

is this

context of it being colonial and

imperialistic but we can't just

stop promoting development can we

because we have basic human rights

every single person all around the world

has the right to have a certain standard

of living

so what do we do about that now here's

what i'm suggesting

instead of you know just either stopping

development or continuing it in this

manner

we need to first start with

acknowledging the fact that yes the work

the manner in which we do development

today

is imperialistic there is this hierarchy

that exists between nations because

there is this dependency that developed

countries tend to go and help those who

are developing

so what we need to start with doing in

this situation is firstly

sorry we need to first start with

working with countries that are in the

developing context so maybe

empower the local governments of those

countries look for grassroots leaders

that are working in those developing

countries

and see in what capacity can we help

them because if we continue this

dependency where okay

if i'm living in a developed country i

want to go and help that person living

in that poor country

that's wrong we need to start with

saying okay what is their government

already doing

what might they need how can my

government possibly help them

instead of maybe how can my government

possibly pressure them into doing what

they want

now the next thing is that international

development

continues to restrict its focus on the

global south and the developing

countries

which further encourages the assumption

that these developmental issues

only exist in that part of the region

right

now at the start of the 21st century the

un came out with a set of

goals and these were the millennium

development goals okay these were eight

goals

that primarily focused on issues of

health of education

and poverty and these were primarily

focused on developing countries okay

and countries were meant to meet this by

2015 but they didn't

and then we had the sustainable

development goals and the sustainable

development goals are goals that the un

is now working on meeting

until until 2030 and it's not just the

un

it's governments it's it's the private

sector it's public sectors everyone

so when we compare these two goals side

by side right what do we see

well firstly obviously we see that the

sdgs the sustainable development goals

there's more of them um and they also

seem to be a little bit better designed

i think

but on a more serious note the

sustainable development goals

are more inclusive in two ways okay

firstly

they're more inclusive in terms of the

themes that they address so the sdgs

they go beyond just

health and poverty and education and

they include ideas of the climate right

so they have

a lot of goals that focus on the climate

and they also bring in the aspect of the

economy

so how can we maybe have more innovative

practices more innovative enterprises

how can we be more responsible consumers

and producers

but a second aspect in which the sdgs

are more inclusive

is regarding who needs to work on that

right so

with the mdgs as i mentioned earlier on

they were focused on developing

countries

but with the sdgs they're global goals

so their goals that

all of the countries at the u.n have

agreed that no we all need to work on

them collectively

this is not something that's restricted

to one part of the world these are

problems that could exist here

there are problems that exist everywhere

so that's that's great right because

we see this transition that has happened

at the policy level at the leadership

level

where countries are finally admitting

that yes you know it's not just poor

countries who have this problem

we also have this problem but

but we still continue to see a portrayal

of developing countries in the same

light

so a couple of weeks ago i was at the

global citizen festival in new york city

okay and for those of you who don't know

the global citizen festival

is a festival where actors performers

musicians

they all come to perform but at the same

time they also take time to speak about

developmental issues

so while i was standing in the crowd a

couple of my friends

and i was listening to this speaker talk

about sdg number four

education a part of me was happy with

all of the progress that was being made

but the other part of me couldn't help

but notice the fact that

behind that speaker they again continue

to show us pictures of poor

you know black and brown kids from

developing countries and that infuriated

me

so i asked my friends who are these two

german girls that guys is it just me or

do you notice this as well and they did

and they were also uncomfortable with it

so

at that point really why it bothered me

was because

at the festival most of the attendees

are young people like the

like the audience sitting in front of me

and if we continue to show

our future policymakers our future

change makers leaders politicians

business women and men and if we show

them this information that

this is the hierarchy that exists that

you need to go and help others living in

other parts of the world

then that's going to influence the way

that they carry out their work and

that's wrong

so yeah and and what's going to happen

is that when you talk about an issue

such as

poverty if you're only showing images of

people from developing parts of the

world

you're going to forget about the fact

that actually poverty is also a big

issue here in the us

right so at this point i'm not saying

stop showing me poor people no there are

definitely vulnerable groups that exist

in the developing parts of the world

but in that situation don't forget about

vulnerable groups that live in other

parts of the world

so this isn't so much about stop showing

as them it's more about show as everyone

who has these developmental issues

don't don't focus on developing parts

focus on the issues so for example

if we're looking at gender right don't

think about what do you also think about

them don't just think about

women that are in south asia and that

might not have access to

a certain thing also keep in mind the

fact that gender is also issued in

developing parts of the

world with transgenders not having as

many rights right so

you have to start thinking in that

manner you have to start thinking about

okay

if this is a developmental issue um

where is it present

learn about the context surrounding it

so the politics the culture the history

and that how that has you know led to

the problem existing and how can you

address those different things to solve

that problem

because if we don't do that right if we

don't

re-evaluate the ways in which that we

think about development developmental

work and developmental problems in

different parts of the world

then we're going to continue this

narrative we're going to continue this

narrative where we convince ourselves

that people living in a certain part of

the world are waiting for us to come and

help them

when in fact problems exist everywhere

and everyone deserves to have those

problems resolved

right and i think you guys as the new

generation um

you know a speaker before me they very

nicely talked about the power that

social media has and that technology has

on shaping the way that you think and i

think that's also essential because

you guys the future generations you need

to think about ways that

you can maybe restructure this narrative

ways that you can bring in newer

perspectives into this narrative so that

you can really level the field because

i really believe that if we ultimately

want to meet the objective of

international development right

the objective of international

development is for there to be

developed countries for all countries to

ultimately have a point in history where

we're all equal we all have the same

living standards but if you truly want

to reach that we need to start

with giving those countries the space to

be that

because if we continue to perpetrate

this idea that oh

there's this hierarchy oh the problem's

only there then we're not going to get

anywhere

and we're going to grow up with another

generation more and more generations of

people that are convinced

that they're either saviors who need to

go and help those who are in need

or that there are those in need who need

saving so

i really want you as as you go home

today

to really think about this and think

about the ways in which that you

yourself can maybe

change how you perceive development what

can you do in the future to change the

way that we talk about development

because this is a really big problem

that is so chris and it really stops us

from ultimately reaching our goal which

is

to have developed nations thank you so

much