Cultural Imperialism in Colombia
When travelling in Colombia, the effects of US foreign policy are
not easily ignored: impoverished slums on the outskirts of cities,
families with economic difficulties, paramilitary atrocities, miles
and miles of rainforest destroyed by ever growing US fumigation
programs, etc etc.
There is one aspect of US imperialist activities
in Colombia, though, that goes greatly unnoticed. Nevertheless,
this weapon, one of the most powerful in the imperialist arsenal,
is found at work in most households and public gathering places,
and most people are oblivious of its profoundly negative effects
on them and may even defend it if it came under critisicism. It
is called cultural imperialism.
Cultural imperialism manipulates and westernises
the psychology of people in Third World countries, aligning them
with US imperialist interests. It is incredibly effective because
it dominates people from the inside, disguised as their own free
will. Cultural imperialism’s role is to control the psyche
of third world inhabitants, creating a politically submissive populace
and awakening a consumerist desire in people so that fertile markets
for western commodities can be cultivated.
Cultural imperialism is strongly targeted
at young people who are the perfect audience, socially sensitive
and easily adaptable to change. The youth of Colombia also pose
a significant threat to the Colombian authorities. Everyone knows
that rebelliousness is innate in adolescents. This volatile force
is agitated by the oppression and suffering that much of Colombia’s
youth is subjected to, so it is crucial for US interests that it
is not allowed to be channelled into any constructive protests or
campaigns. Instead this rebellion is directed by cultural imperialism
into alcohol, drugs, parties, consumerism and aspiring to a western
lifestyle. There is a growing club scene in Colombia, and ‘designer’
drugs that are manufactured in the US and Europe are increasing
rapidly in popularity. When I was in Bogotá, I saw many teenagers
wearing baggy trousers, flat soled skate shoes and carrying skateboards.
I would have thought they were North American had I not seen their
Colombian faces. As in our country, most youths believe they are
rebellious, but they are really just playing into the hands of their
enemies and strengthening their own weaknesses.
During my trip to Colombia I visited an
indigenous community in the Amazonian jungle of Caqueta in southern
Colombia. The elder of the community, a 102-year-old shaman, told
me about how the old customs and ancient wisdom of his ancestors
has reached its final generation and will soon be lost. This particular
village, like so many others in Colombia is crumbling and losing
its indigenous culture. The young people, I was told by the shaman,
are only interested in drinking and the novelty of adopting a western
lifestyle. He told me that the community used to be happy, and function
well when it was still based on indigenous ethics. In many of the
houses in this village I saw posters advertising cigarettes, US
beers and Coca-Cola.
The indigenous of Colombia are some of the
hardest hit by cultural imperialism. The South American indigenous
culture strikes a hard contrast to western culture. Therefore, in
the eyes of the US, it must be destroyed and devalued. Cultural
Imperialism has made people all over South America turn against
their own cultural roots and being indigenous is now generally looked
on as old fashioned and inferior. The indigenous population of Colombia
face discrimination and racism, and this of course brings them social
insecurity, making the temptation of westernisation even stronger.
The indigenous people represent a strong force of opposition to
the US campaign of South American subordination. By attacking these
people, cultural imperialism is fragmenting them, weakening them
and destroying their natural solidarity.
It is sad, but on an increasing scale what
was once the community living and working together harmoniously
is now the town in which people go about their business without
a sense of belonging or solidarity.
The most formidable tool for cultural imperialism
is the mass media, noticeably the beloved television set. On many
of the long bus journeys I took in Colombia, there were TVs on the
buses. What struck me was that in all of the adverts blond-haired,
blued-eyed North American men, women and children were modelling
the products. Another scandalous thing was that the screen was often
dominated by the vacuous ‘entertainment’ of the miss Colombia
contest.
Between the years 1980 and 1990 the number
of TV sets per person in Latin America increased by 40%. In the
same period, the average income for Latin Americans decreased by
40% and the peoples’ struggle against US imperialism decreased
significantly. These figures speak for themselves.
Television catches the Colombian population
in a vicious circle that can only be called addictive torture. It
offers many Colombians an escape into fantasy from their situation
of suffering that is created in the first place by the imperialist
West. It is seductive, presenting a false solution to suffering,
sowing dreams of happiness and ‘success’ that will never
be realised and tying people up in the world of consumerism that
only brings more suffering.
People sit hypnotised by glamorous TV stars, Colombians who have
‘made it’, who, according to the values of imperialism,
are superior to their audience, taking away the dignity of real
men, women and children.
In Colombia, as all over the world, the
mass media helps to convert good words into vehicles for lies. According
to the rhetoric of cultural imperialism, tyrants are left wing liberal
politicians, democracy is a system that serves the rich minority,
liberty means complete US domination and mass slaughter and bombing
sessions are called peace. While the Colombian public is desensitised
to government atrocities, a guerrilla kidnapping is a terrible crime
of huge proportions and the words FARC and ELN are despised and
feared by many. Anyone against the authorities is categorised, dehumanised
and named a terrorist, making the killing of innocent campesinos
acceptable. What is more, video games and high-budget Hollywood
films glorify this so-called righteous violence.
It is now a fashion in Colombia for women
to die their hair blond, showing that North Americans are the respectable
symbols of aspiration. The disillusioned public are being trained
to be more individualistic and selfish and therefore weak, easy
victims of the US divide and conquer strategy.
Cultural imperialism is the counterpart
to Plan Colombia. It is psychological warfare. Its goal is to turn
the Colombian people into a mass of hypnotised robots who will not
question or fight against US dictates.
I do not want to give the impression that
all Colombians are robots. The people of Latin America are some
of the most revolutionary people in the world. There are many people
in Colombia who are working ceaselessly for real change.
Ultimately, we must all realise the perpetual
cycle of suffering that our western culture creates and rebel against
it. In solidarity we can work together with our Colombian brothers
to resist cultural imperialism and break these chains of slavery.
There is hope.
Peter Woodman
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