Culture Force In Politics Social Sciences Coursework

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Culture Force in Politics
Question 1.
Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu’s short science fiction film, Pumzi, provides an imaginary perception of the adverse effects of environmental pollution or climate change and its adverse effects on a given community in the East African region. The takes a post-apocalyptic approach to highlight the catastrophic effects of climate change, which lead to a global war and reconstruction of the world towards enhanced water conservatory measures. Despite being characterized by advanced technologies, such as digitization of a wide range of functions, the post-apocalyptic East African community is characteristic of extreme water shortage and oppression of human rights and freedoms CITATION Kah10 \l 1033 (Kahiu). Members of the community, for instance, are denied the freedom of expression, movement, and or even pursuing their dreams. It is a dystopian state that monitors and controls even the dreams of its constituents CITATION Nya16 \l 1033 (Nyawalo). The film is also afro-futuristic as it highlights the adverse effects of the capitalist manipulations in Africa through uncontrolled extraction or overexploitation of natural resources (Steingo, pg. 47). It is the dispossession of the Africans’ right to control and monitor the use of their natural resources that leaves them with digital benefits from their colonial powers in return for inadequate supply of key resources such as water.
The film, Pumzi, functions to caution African countries and their leaderships against their inactiveness towards dealing with environmental pollution and overexploitation of natural resources. The film is thus allegorical as it showcases the adverse effects of mismanaging the environment through uncontrolled economic activities that function to promote digitization of the world at the expense of reducing plantation cover (Steingo, pg. 46). The film’s depiction of the Maitu Community as a digitized society also speculates on the future way of life in Africa. The fact that most countries in the African continent, including Kenya, are yet to embrace the global digital orientation further emphasizes on the speculative nature of the film (Steingo, pg. 46). The setting of the film thus contradicts the current states of technological innovations and inventions in the continent. Pumzi occurs in a digitalized African community that could take place in decades to come.
Question 2.
The use of satire or satirical depictions to enhance accountability among the political leadership is gaining ground across the world as one of an effective approach towards imparting positive political change. However, the approach appears is more successful in developed countries that are guided by democratic principles allowing for freedom of expression. Countries with authoritarian forms of government, on the other hand, tend to censor such expressions as they are perceived to be questioning the power and authority of the ruling regimes or leaders CITATION Eko15 \l 1033 (Eko). Satire or satirical depictions of leaders function to fun or a mockery of politicians’ daily activities across the social, economic, and political dimensions of society. Journalists make use of the...