Net-forum, House of World Cultures, Berlin
The Prospects of Culture in a Digital World
I am certainly honored to participate in the House of World Cultures forum on »Cultural Exchange via the Internet.« It has been more than two years now since I made my initial contribution to the global discourse on Cyberculture and the Internet, and two years, as we say of politics, is a long time in Cyberspace. At the time, although the Internet was well on its way to consolidation in Africa, there were rather few Africans involved in the critical debates on its prospects and vast implications. At the end of 1998, it would be right still, to observe that the question of implications is hardly broached, especially as it relates to Africa and its future. In that regard, this forum is a particularly significant one.
As I have argued in the past, irrespective of any misgivings or reservations that we might have, there is little doubt that the Internet is the defining technology of our time, and of the immediate future. Today, the majority of humanity has no access to it, but that will change. The rapid pace with which its demographics have changed over the past few years is a revealing indicator. True, that majority may be unaware of its presence or prospects, yet it is able to touch their lives in more ways than one. Through the Internet, activities, decisions, and exchanges are taking place everyday in the areas of politics, commerce and culture, that impact the lives of millions who have no access to, or immediate interest in information technology. This reality makes it imperative, therefore, that we discuss, in earnest, how such activities and exchanges are conducted, and how humanity may best benefit from them, and from the medium.
Often, discussions such as this are polarized between those who make outlandish claims for the Internet, and those whose cynicism would not allow to recognize and admit, its growing relevance in our world. It is, perhaps, too optimistic to expect that new information technologies will quickly or radically alter our ideas and perceptions of other societies and cultures, or erace entrenched attitudes and inclinations. If anything, our lesson has been that such proclivities, quite often, are merely transfered from so-called »real« life to virtual practise. It is naive, also, to imagine that borders, whether geographical or cultural, are or can be dissolved by the Internet, when the evidence indicates otherwise. Nevertheless, there is no gainsaying that our ability to access information and knowledge about others, has been immensely enhanced by the Internet, and that such knowledge is the foundation for greater cultural understanding, and cooperation.
The questions posed for this forum may or may not reflect the true nature of the Internet, and its impact on cultural relations; yet they provide a starting point for a dialogue that should eventually lead us to the right questions. It is my sincere hope that the forum generates broad and enthusiastic participation, and that it be seen as the beginning of a very useful and healthy process. The Internet is the present and future that we cannot avoid. Our challenge is to take it, and make the most of it.
Olu Oguibe is an artist, art historian, award-winning poet and leading commentator on Cyberculture. Dr. Oguibe is currently Stuart S. Golding Endowed Chair in the Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora at the University of South Florida. His excellent website provides an introduction on African American Art, essays, interviews and artists' profiles, a virtual gallery, bibliography, and more.
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Forum of the House of World Cultures, Berlin, on the use of Internet in the cultural exchange with and between Africa, Asia/Pacific and Latin America. 1998/1999