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African storyteller. Retrieved October 22, 2019 from http://oexodo.com/materias/ |
The Power of Imagination
Sustainability and gender equality are stories yet to be told
Currently I am reading a book called 'We are the Weather' by Jonathan Safran Foer (2019). In one of the chapters Foer is writing about how climate change is not such a good story and that most people lack the imagination to think about future scenarios. In fact, it is not about knowing the future but about knowing how to live without knowing the future. Similarly, in the case of sustainability and gender equality related to water accessibility, scenarios or narratives on how gender equality enhances sustainability and the other way around could motivate actions which were previously unconsidered (Bai et al., 2016). I was thinking, that getting into conversation with African women about how a desirable future would look like in their eyes, could be a vital source of inspiration and legitimization of future pathways for sustainability and gender equality. So I realized that storytelling about future scenarios is about the power of imagination and its effects on nowadays' actions. Plus, achieving the SDGs requires outside the box thinking and Africa's Water Women probably have inspiring stories yet to be told.
Oh, an interesting TED-talk to watch: 'If a story moves you, act on it' by Sisonke Msimang.
Oh, an interesting TED-talk to watch: 'If a story moves you, act on it' by Sisonke Msimang.
Hi Helen! I completely agree on the role and power that imagination can have when making people change perspectives and do differently. So powerful in fact that the image and the way we speak of Africa and women still reflect unfortunately the stories and the discourses the colonialist powers were using for so long. I think we thus need, more than ever today, other stories to be visible, showing how active, ingenious and entrepreneurial africans are to counter-balance the passive, needy and "victim" images we still encounter in flyers and pitches of some NGOs.
ReplyDeleteHi Pauline! Thank your for your inspiring comment :) I totally agree with you, and I believe it is also about the 'cultural glasses' we are wearing which influence our conception and perception on situations in Africa. And indeed, colonialism still shapes these cultural glasses in many ways. I hope blog posts 5,9 and 10 I delved deeper into this topic of local stories.
DeleteInteresting and powerful thought: "it is not about knowing the future but about knowing how to live without knowing the future."
ReplyDeleteThank you! and yes, the future is shaped by actions in the present and by keeping possible desired futures in mind you could act upon them right here right now!
DeleteThis is a compelling post. Storytelling is fundamental to how we communicate knowledge, especially complex feelings and thoughts - take Shakespeare, for example. Science is usually about storytelling. Climate change is certainly a situation in which the future is very unclear, especially in relation to climate, hydrology and water supply.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I agree, science is all about spreading a message; about telling a story. Especially when it comes to climate change and related uncertainties story telling might be impactful to reach audiences. However, the public could also convey stories which are impactful for science! There is a lot of interesting literature on public engagement with science, as well as future scenarios on climate change! If you are interested I could send them :)
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