In Yo-Yo Ma’s talk, which he gave in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2008, the famous cellist gives his opinion on globalisation (19).
One passage in particular made me think about what globalization means for the culture of different people around the world. As a musician, Yo-Yo Ma has had many opportunities to travel the world and listen to and play all kinds of music from all kinds of cultures. He explains that this helps him, and all the other international musicians he plays with, to learn about the culture and the music of another country, and so they stop being afraid of new, unknown places and habits. Yo-Yo Ma says that when we travel, we realise that we share more with people who were foreign to us than we think. When we go to distant places we can feel like we know the people there.
As an international student studying in another country, I agree with Yo-Yo Ma’s opinion. I know that when you first go abroad, especially for a long time, it all seems strange, but then you quickly start to notice all the things that are similar to the way you live back home. When you meet new people from different countries, during conversations you often say, “Me too,” or “We do that in my country, too.”
Yo-Yo Ma continues that globalization and sharing ideas is not only important just in the world of art. He says that finding shared cultures is important for everybody. I think this is true when you are abroad and at home. When you are in a foreign country, perhaps to study or to work, you are the one who has to adapt to the ways of the other country. However, as Yo-Yo Ma tells us, many small places are experiencing immigration and these places have to learn to become more open in order to welcome the new people and all the wonderful things about their culture that they bring with them.
Yo-Yo Ma says that what these places need is a “thriving cultural engine” that can help people to experience different cultures without fear. I agree with this, as I sometimes find that I appreciate art or music from a place that I don’t know, and this makes me more curious about that place, and more open to visiting or meeting people there. I think that if people can have information and experience of other cultures before they learn to be afraid of them, we can eliminate many problems from today’s global society. Perhaps we can start with art or music and then extend our experiences of the different culture into other aspects, like food or sport, and then use these things to get closer to the different society. Indeed, Yo-Yo Ma talks about “bridges” between cultures, and I think this is one of the most exciting aspects of globalization. I love finding different food that is a mixture of different cultures or watching sports that I cannot see in my country. However, it is important also to try to preserve the original culture, in addition to appreciating the new things that are born from two cultures coming together.
Immigration is a reality today and it is not going to stop, so I think that as a society, we have to find a way to live with this in the most positive way possible. Maybe the government can make different laws to help people live together without conflict, but really, it is people themselves who must learn to be more open to ideas and customs that come from other countries and cultures. We must learn not to be afraid of these, but to see them as something we can appreciate and use to make our lives better.
We could learn from Yo-Yo Ma’s experience and start teaching children in elementary school how to play music from other countries, so they grow up with open minds.
I believe that this is one way we can learn to be open to receive ideas from other cultures instead of expecting people from one country to “sacrifice individuality and identity” when they move to another place.
Yo-Yo Ma says that it is important to acknowledge what is “precious” to someone coming from a different culture, and I agree with this. If a person wants to dress in a certain way or eat certain foods because that is his culture, no-one should try to stop him. However, he should be open to the customs and cultures of the new country and not refuse opportunities to learn the language and habits of his new home.
Therefore, I believe that Yo-Yo Ma makes an excellent point when he talks about how important it is to resolve differences in a friendly way. For me personally, studying far from home in a new culture has taught me how to look at the world with new eyes.
WORK CITED
Ma, Yo-Yo. “Paths of Globalization: From the Berbers to Bach.” New Perspectives
Quarterly, Spring 2008: 19-21. Print.
