¶ … Chimamanda Adichie Talks and the Whale Rider Film
The message in a story is what is obvious to the person reading it or watching it. The medium on the other hand is more subtle and is really what the reader or the audience and indeed society takes away from a work. Chimamanda Adichie demonstrates this in 'A Single Story' talk show on TED Talks as does Witi Ihimaera in his book which later became the film Whale Rider.
A Single Story, Chimamanda Adichie
Many intertwining stories make up the cultures we come from, and the lives that we lead as a people, society. Chimamanda Adichie who is a novelist is thankful that she is able to discover her true individuality. This novelist, however, cautions against drawing our understanding about a culture from one story about that culture (NPR, 2015), as it is prone to creating stereotyped understanding of a whole culture.
Using one story to form our understanding is unwise because the angle presented will form in our minds a picture that may not necessarily be true or wholesome. As such, we accept a singular understanding and it forms the basis of a stereotype. As explained by the novelist Chimamanda N. Adichie, a single story opens up room for stereotypes to be formed, and the danger in these is that they are half-truths, as they do not give the full picture. Stereotypes allow one story to represent all that makes up a culture (Hoop, 2014).
Thus, as this novelist explained in a TED talk, there should be freedom for expression of original, independent views, and these can come through authors who write about their own cultures. Writing about one's own culture would mean that one possesses a better understanding as one has interacted and reacted deeply with his/her own culture. She contrasts this with her personal experience of writing as a child about things that she had never experienced such as snow and children with blue eyes as it was what she read in the books availed to her. She illustrates this further by sharing her experience in college when her roommate expresses bewilderment at Chimamanda's fluency in English. Thus, she brings her point-of-view into focus, that stories are potent and especially so when many of them are brought together. In as much as they have been used in the past to destroy and portray a people in poor light, they can also be used to dignify the same as they portray them in their true light. (Hoop, 2014).
Whenever a story about a society gets repeated many times, it becomes accepted as the sole representative about a people, and sadly this has been the case for Africa. Africa, as a whole, has been labeled an impoverished country with little development, if any, and a place where the natives must live in fear in the midst of wild animals. This is a stereotype that has been reinforced over time. In the minds of many, it has negated the perception of existence of different countries, each with distinct languages. Instead, to many, that read only one point-of-view Africa is one whole nation with a single language and singular culture (The Borgen project, 2015). The medium thus, or what changes society will make are the writing of each culture's stories by its own authors and the acceptance of these views by society in order to form a more complete and thereby the true picture.
Whale Rider, the film and book by Witi Ihimaera
Witi Ihimaera, a Maori writer, expounds on the issue of stereotypes in his book which forms the basis of the film The Whale Rider (Film Education, 2003). This is one of the ways in which his vies and those expressed by Chimamanda Adichie are similar. He brings out the light of women who have been designated a place in society which they seek to break away from. Thus, though the obvious facts are that there needs to be a successor to the Chief, the message in the medium is that women must find a way to break out of the mold or the stereotype that hold them back. The main character, Pai, is portrayed as one who is seeking...
Her persistence and
determination to break the so-called glass ceiling where women face discrimination and are expected to
play only certain roles, is demonstrated. She has to struggle to gain the
respect that is due her and for the men to acknowledge that she has the ability to lead. She obviously loves her grandfather but she must demonstrate it while looking for the opportunity to succeed him as the Chief (Film Education, 2003).
Similarities and Differences
Thus the similarity between Chimamanda and Witi Ihimaera are demonstrated. The former elaborates how single stories can form stereotypes and thus room must be made for diverse views which will give a truer picture. The latter elaborates how a society has stereotyped roles for women and how one woman must fight against all odds to break out of these rigid lines to realize her potential.
The main difference in the two is in terms of who the stereotype is formed against. In the case of Chimamanda, the stereotypes are elucidated against a people and its precedent. She points out the African continent and the stereotypes that have long being held against it. Witi Ihimaera, on the other hand, brings out stereotypes against a gender. He points out the stereotypes against the female gender in Pai's society that assigns only specific roles for women, thereby restricting their growth and development.
Another difference between the two is that one focuses on the stereotype and the possible ways in which to deal with it. The other focuses on struggles of an individual challenging the stereotype. Chimamanda Adichie highlights the stereotypes created against people and their cultures and suggests that, were people to write their own stories, the picture would change. The film The Whale Rider demonstrates how one character Pai seeks to break the mold in her own cultural setting. Though the film is presented to a diverse global audience, it still presents the case of independence of cultures giving strength to other colonized societies and cultures to resist
stereotyping and subjugation (Dodd, 2012). The story is set in the Maori culture which has held over many generations and which is inherited by each new
generation (Pearson Schools and FE Colleges, n. d.).
The Maori culture encompasses a distinct way of life,
religion and language. Religion, which is of prime importance, regards
nature as essence of life. They are a farming community. Their meeting places are sacred. This interesting culture is the setting for The Whale Rider (Pearson Schools and FE Colleges, n. d.).
The writer, through setting the stage for the story in this culture, has the liberation of the female gender at heart. This, thus, forms the medium of his story. Rather than the obvious facts coming out such as the culture and its diversity, the story of a determined young woman who fights against the odds remains with us (Dodd, 2012). The film unfortunately does not give the complete background of the story form the culture (comprising of its varied fables and beliefs). Therefore, the movie reflects just a small detail of the culture so that the launching of a canoe at the end does not really educate on the
rituals and their rich background (Dodd, 2012). Ironically, the dominant message in the film seems to be the story of the struggles of a woman, with only a fleeting reference about culture, leading to perception of stereotyping Africa. To the viewer, the Maori culture represents the whole of Africa, as it has picked very little from its myths and thus gives a skewed view about it. This ignorance of their beliefs, myths, and formation of their land beliefs leaves out the truth about the
cultural diversity of Africa.
Conclusion
The medium of the message comes through with
reflection on both the talk and the film. Chimamanda Adichie fights stereotypes and gives the world a way to fight them. The message may have been a creation of awareness of the existing stereotypes by giving examples, but the medium is the way to fight them. Witi Ihimaera portrays a stereotype and how one woman fights back. The message is how a woman fights a culture stereotype in her society but the unforeseen medium is the stereotyping of a culture.
References
Dodd, K.V. "Whale Rider: The Re-enactment of Myth and the Empowerment of Women." Journal of Religion & Film 16.2 (2012).
Film Education. Whale Rider. 2003. .
Hoop, H. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on The Danger of a Single Story: TED Talks for Writers. July 2014. .
NPR. What Are The Dangers Of A Single Story? September 2015. .
Pearson Schools and FE Colleges. Whale Rider. .
The Borgen Project. Review: Chimamanda Adichie's "Danger of a Single Story." Feb 2015. .
