EAST MEETS WEST
Cultural Challenges
Ten
hours flying time from South-Asia to Europe and the first
time traveller is suddenly exposed to a culture that has only been a flickering
virtual-reality on the movie screen.
Step from the aeroplane and reality begins!
The
emerging western culture in South-Asia is far different from the realities of
western culture as manifested in Europe , especially if the visitor is female.
Cultural
traditions continue to have a firm grip on what is expected, accepted and permitted
with regards to how a female conducts herself in the deeply entrenched
South-Asian cultures.
Gaining
the age of 18 or even 21, does not automatically bestow upon the female all the
rights (and responsibilities) enjoyed
by their western cousins; to the contrary in fact! The expectations regarding behaviour and
modest deportment become even more demanding!
Freedom as experienced in the west, is something that has to be
gradually acquired and is not served-up on a plate. One aspect of South-Asian culture is that a
female is viewed not to be a ‘responsible
woman’ until she is married! Until
such time, she enjoys what freedom her immediate family permits, especially
when it comes to associating with the opposite gender. Young women are protected and independence
is gained slowly, unlike in the west where young women enjoy almost absolute
freedom from at least 18 years of age and sometimes even younger.
So
how must it be for an attractive South-Asian woman to visit the west for the
first time and be left to care for herself within days when her last link with
her family and homeland departs? It
must come as a tremendous cultural shock to find ones-self suddenly alone and
without the support that one is accustomed to.
As a consequence, one unconsciously reaches out for help!
And
of course ‘help’ is always readily
available to a beautiful olive skinned South-Asian female, more frequently than
not from middle-aged+ patriarchal figures who see a vulnerable beautiful woman
in need of their gallant support… well
intentioned of course, with no ulterior motives! Most
South-Asian women are quite submissive with men and that appeals very much to
the older Western Caucasian male who prefers a sweet, compliant young
South-Asian woman, rather than a comparatively highly independent and
forthright Western woman that he is more accustomed to. Financially, he is more ‘comfortable’ than young South-Asian
men, and thus becomes a kind of a ticket to escape from poverty. The young
woman envisages being able to send money back home to her family. Overall, the prospects for a more
comfortable life appear better with a Caucasian man.
Not
having any understanding of the cultural background of the woman and thus not
understanding her need for ‘protective,
gentle yet firm support and guidance’ as a logical continuation of her
cultural expectations and background; it is instead presumed that her
bewilderment and sadness is caused because of her lack of ‘freedom’ as experienced by western females of similar age. The solution obviously is to introduce her
to the western concept of ‘freedom’
forthwith, regardless of consequences and without any consideration of her
cultural upbringing to-date. Surely, it
is her ‘Right’ to be ‘free’…western style! In other words: the young women is thrown in the deep-end and
expected to swim, and the only remaining traditional and stable ‘support’ is side-lined and labelled ‘patriarchal’, ‘dictatorial’ , ‘controlling’
or worse.
South-Asian
expectations of modesty are quickly flung out of the window when her beauty is
captured by the photographer’s lens within days of her ‘new found independence’.
Such attention is totally new and the subject has no way of knowing how
to respond, let alone cope with such attention, apart from enjoying being the ‘central attraction’ for perhaps the
first time in her life! Swept off her
feet by the generosity of other creepy middle-aged men who perhaps bestow upon
her never previously experienced unaffordable luxuries of new clothes, day
trips, meals in restaurants topped-off with declarations of adoration, it is
not surprising that such a young women is overwhelmed and bewildered by her new
found freedom as afforded her in her first weeks of experiencing the fabled
western culture. There is a naïve
desire to grasp at this new found ‘freedom’,
regardless of costs, consequences and with little realization of who is now
dictating how she leads her life. Her ‘freedom’ is now of course coloured by
the stance of her new self-appointed guardians.
Not surprisingly, the crunch comes after a few weeks!
All
this unaccustomed adulation, attention, conflicting moral and cultural
differences, and expectations take their toll, and like any young person,
longings emerge for the stability that has been so much part of life and which
gave the foundations upon which the future was being built!! The west does not seem such an attractive
option after all. There is the growing
desire to return to the home country and ‘forget
all and everything’ and once more be clasped in the bosom of the
family.
++++++++
Western
culture has also had its challenges for Shanta who hails from Nepal
Without
doubt, the art experiences that Shanta is being immersed in at Emerson College
are enormously beneficial to her, not only as a training for possible career
moves in the future once she returns to Nepal, but also for her own personal
benefit. Art is a wonderful therapy for
someone who has experienced so many traumatic episodes in her short life to
date. The gifts that Emerson College
Shanta
has been supported by Social Endeavours Nepal (S.E.N.), a
one-person charitable endeavour run by a guy who has a very unhealthy bank
balance! Your help is therefore
earnestly sought to help defray some of the costs and expenses associated with
Shanta’s studies.
Every
single pound, dollar or euro helps to reach the goal of GBP 5000 needed to cover 50% of the total costs of the course (inclusive of travel, food, insurance, etc). Please consider helping! Donations via:-
http://www.youcaring.com/tuition-fundraiser/from-street-beggar-to-teacher-/240531
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