Technological Complexity and its Impact on African Life
These two presentations demonstrate how technological complexity makes living challenging for Africans. When Africans embrace technology, they frequently choose to destroy rather than create. Africans are portrayed in "The Gods Must Be Crazy" in a blatantly Luddite manner, whereas the kingdom in Sundiata experienced problems after a prophecy from a foreign country was made. The Luddism in the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is made clear by the society's opposition to industrialization and technology. African life in Sundiata and The Gods Must Be Crazy is simplified through the rejection of technology and any form of industrialisation by the society. African life in Sundiata and The Gods Must Be Crazy is simplified through the rejection of technology as this brings about unwarranted knowledge that leads to lack of humanity in people.
The Impact of Technology on Society
Originally, Luddites were English workers in the 19th century who did not appreciate losing their jobs. These workers did not fancy technology and thus are a proper illustration of some of the deleterious impacts of a society that relies on technology. For example, the film ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’ is a sort of a satire that portrays two different societies; one that has not adopted technology and thus does not know how to fight or bicker and another that is reliant on technological know-how but full of bitterness. From this film, it is evident that human beings have lost their humanity due to the adoption of technology.
The Rise of Technology in African Empires
The Epic of Sundiata is a chronicle tale on the rise of an empire in Mali in North western Africa. The epic moves through a thousand years portraying the ruling of the various empires and how they gained power. Beginning from the Empire of Ghana in 400 A. D. and the Soninke people, the author portrays an organised society. The societies in this historical tales were well aware of the complexities of life as they had already adopted the use of various forms of technological advancements. The various complicated weapons were used to attack neighbours and win wars (Niane 18).
The Transformation of Society and Loss of Humanity
Technology is not a bad thing but it transforms the way people think and treat each other. When ‘the gods’ give the gift of the coke bottle (the hardest thing that society has ever seen) it becomes a blessing in disguise. The group enjoys having the bottle and play around with it for a while. The once peaceful society is threatened when everyone wants to have the bottle because it is highly useful (Canby). The people begin developing envy and selfishness. The only solution at this point is to get rid of the foreign object that brought disagreements within the society. The coke bottle is the problem and it depicts technological advancement as it is only produced using industrial expertise. In Sundiata, the author tells of ‘hunters from a foreign land’ giving a prophesy to Maghan kon Fatta (Niane 4). The word ‘foreign’ here may be symbolic of technology as this marks the point where the woes of his community start.
Simplicity and Unity in Pre-Technological African Life
Until the coke bottle and the hunters from a foreign land (which symbolizes technological growth) arrive, the people are in sync with each other and the environment and they live happy lives. The men hunt together, the women care for the family without any complaints and even the children play without fighting. The movie describes the simplicity of life by saying that ‘you can dig for food and for water you can put a leaf on the ground…and drink dew in the morning’ (Uys). Before technology arrives, the society does not have anything to worry about. In fact, they do not even have laws or regulations regarding their survival (Canby). In Sundiata, the people appear happy until a prophesy is declared. Technological growth is responsible for the numerous worries and envy that people have against each other. The coke bottle had many uses but nobody wanted to share it yet they were willing to retain the communal ownership of the environment.
The Impact of Technology on Mental and Emotional State
In Xi’s journey to get rid of the coke bottle, the movie presents the numerous crazy people that have been stupefied by technology. The director of the film, James Uys presents some people who have adopted technology to the extent that they become emotional cripples. A good example in this case is Mr. Steyn who is only able to relay his feelings to Miss Thompson only after interacting with Xi. It is only until Xi can deal with these people that he completes his mission of getting rid of the evil bottle.
The Negative Effects of Technology and Cultural Dualism
The aspect of dualism in Africa is brought about by technology, and those who rely on this form of expertise perish. The clumsiness of Mr Steyn as he related to Miss Thompson is a clear explanation of the negative aspects associated with technology in the African culture. For instance, Mr. Steyn, is a westerner who is obviously well adapted to technology, his view of Miss Thompson as beautiful is negated by Xi who does not value physical aspects. Instead, Xi seems to look at the viability of the woman and her ability to give birth at an age when she seems so old. These two depend fully on technology for mobility as Mr. Steyn struggles to ensure that his old car can transport Miss Thompson (Canby). To Xi, the car is describes as a noisy animal that leaves footprints. In fact, his movement is not hampered by the lack of an automobile. In Sundiata, dualism was brought about by the introduction of Islam in a society that was already civilized.
The Destructive Power of Technology
For the society that is technologically apt, this know-how is used to destroy them rather than help them improve their lives. For instance, the terrorists use technology in form of airplanes and weapons to gain more power. In the process, they maim, kill and destroy the environment as well as the lives of other human beings. Instead of technology being beneficial, it contributes to the downfall of most people in this society. In The Epic of Sundiata, the army used technological know-how to create armies. Even though these armies helped them to gain leadership over broad grasslands, they had to destroy the lives of their fellow human beings. Additionally, the society used technology to gain knowledge on how to conduct international trade. In 1591, the ruler of Morocco used his army to destroy the empire completely. Unlike the life of Xi that is portrayed as being simple, the Africans who adopted technology ended up using it to destroy their lives and that of their neighbours.
The Complexities of African Life with Technology
In The Gods Must Be Crazy and Sundiata, life in Africa became more complex when societies adopted the use of technology. In the case of Xi the protagonist in The Gods Must Be Crazy, he rejected technology and was in a position to go back to his always peaceful community. In the case of Sundiata, a prophesy which may be symbolic of technology completely transformed the community. In fact, it led to its demise.
Works Cited
Canby, Vincent. Film View; Is ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’ Only a Comedy? The New York Times 28 October 1984. http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/28/arts/film-view-is-the-gods-must-be-crazy-only-a-comedy.html?pagewanted=all Accessed 8 June 2017.
Niane, Djbril T. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Essex: Longman, 1965. Print.
Jamie Uys, “The Gods Must Be Crazy” (1984) (via YouTube)
