The Globalization Effect
The Globalization Effect
Political and Economic Overview
Located on Africa’s southeastern coast, Mozambique is a picturesque country with abundant natural resources, a diverse population, a rich cultural heritage, and a troubled political history. The former European colony underwent a period of turbulent political and economic change during the latter half of the 20th century. As Guilengue (2015, para. 2) asserts, the phases began with a decade-long struggle to gain its independence from Portugal in 1975. Mozambique continued its political transformation, going from a one-party state system (1975-1992) to its current multiparty democratic system (Guilengue, 2015, para. 2). During this transitional period, the country experienced a devastating civil war (1976-1992) between the Frelimo and Renamo factions (now the ruling and opposing parties, respectively). Within the timeframe of political change, Mozambique shifted its economic model from a centrally planned one in the 1980s to a market-driven economy starting in 1992 (Guilengue, 2015, para. 2). With the introduction of political and economic reforms, the country became an African success story, becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the region (Guilengue, 2015, para. 2; Kibe & Sy, 2013, pars. 1-2).
However, in 2014, Mozambicans experienced a period fraught with intense political tensions before the general elections in October. In 2012, Renamo once again took up armed opposition, accusing Frelimo of electoral fraud and threatening a fragile peace (Guilengue, 2015, para. 24). The political instability lessened with the cease-fire agreement that permitted the election of current President Filipe Nyusi from the ruling Frelimo party. Although the election signalled a change in state leadership, Mozambique continues to face widespread challenges in consolidating peace, an effective democratic system and the transformation of its economy in a globalized system (Guilengue, 2015, para. 29). This report briefly examines the consequences and benefits to Mozambique’s culture and values due to globalization, as well as reviewing country policy initiatives to preserve African culture and values.
Consequences of globalization on Mozambique’s culture and values
Since 1992, Mozambique experiences impressive seven percent economic growth rate, mostly due to four factors: various mega projects in extractive industries and the energy sector, agricultural performance, and strong donor support (Kibe & Sy, 2013, pars. 2 & 4). Nevertheless, the country’s experience with globalization is disparate and exclusive, as only certain sectors and elites experience its economic benefits. One of the broad cultural consequences of this growth reflects on Mozambican society that undergoes a youth-led transformation, which rejects traditional values and expands cultural boundaries (The African Resource, 2013, para. 1). The country’s youth population is one of the world’s youngest, with a median age of 17 years and approximately 60 percent of its population under the age of 24 (The African Resource, 2013, para.1). According to the African Resource, (2013, para. 3), that although unemployment disproportionately affects this demographic group with both high unemployment rates and over 50% of the living below the poverty line, this generation of Mozambicans benefit from opportunities that prior ones did not. Unlike older generations who rejected colonialism or the foreign interventionism during the civil war, modern Mozambican youth does not feel lingering resentments toward foreign cultures and gladly embrace American videos and Bollywood movies (The African Resource, 2013, pars. 4-5). The second consequence of globalization exhibited by current Mozambican youth is a lack of national identity. Ideas of reclaiming a national identity or establishing a culture not dominated by outside influences are not relevant topics to youth more eager to take advantage of economic opportunities in Mozambique’s urban hubs or other countries. Hess (2013, para. 8) provides a concrete example of how local markets in northeastern villages are flooded with cheap imported used clothing, making it difficult for the domestic textile industry to compete. In an abstract context, the used clothing with Western brands with imprinted cultural icons changes the perception of its young wearers about consumerism and the dominance of Western values (Hess, 2013, para. 9). A final and more complex consequence of globalism for Mozambican youth relates to the high unemployment rates they experience. The sense of exclusion and restricted futures received the label of waithood, where the transition from youth to adult is uncertain, and many young adults must improvise their livelihoods through creative means (Honwana, 2013, para. 3). In a globalized world, the Mozambican and other African youths experience the similar phenomenon of modernity of having access to digital information technology with limited opportunities in their daily lives.
Benefits of globalization for Mozambique’s culture and values
Globalization also provides positive aspects for a country’s local culture. Sala (n.d. para.1) sustains that for Mozambique, culture and values gain more relevance for policymakers in the country’s social and economic development. In fostering solidarity among the countries various ethnic groups and promoting cultural goods for the economy, cultural mechanisms become a priority for policy makers to encourage sustainable development, affirm citizenship and re-establish a national identity (Sala, n.d., para. 1). Culture represents a positive resource for knowledge transfer, social inclusion, sustaining local community practices and developing viable ecotourism practices. Cultural mechanisms become indispensable, enhancing “the overall value of nation” (Sala, n.d., para. 3). With the assistance of various donor and aid partners, Mozambique transfers its culture to multiple domains through foundations and programs with UNESCO, PUND, the IMF and the World Bank (Sala, n.d., para. 3). In the institutionalized management of these collaborative initiatives, Sala (n.d., para. 5) stresses the imperative of respecting local realities, traditions, and values in establishing art programs realized through collaborative ventures in art education. For globalization to benefit local communities, the former must encourage and promote plurality while the latter must resist adopting imported or fashionable models that bypass local customs.
Mozambican policies that preserve African countries’ culture and values
Mozambique collaborated with six UN agencies from 2008-2013 and national government agencies in tourism, education, health, labour, agriculture, youth and sport, and science and technology to successfully promote the “transversal importance and effectiveness of culture in the Mozambican development context” (MDG Achievement Fund, 2015, para. 2). The MDG-F Culture and Development Joint Programme was an ambitious five-year program (August 2008-June 2013) designed to foment socio-economic development through various initiatives “including strengthening the role of creative industries developing community-based tourism programs, and using traditional knowledge in agriculture and national resources management” (UNESCO, 2015, para. 1). The Joint Programme obtained achievements that translate to specific governmental policies. One of them was the creation of the National Directorate for the Promotion of Cultural Industries (DNPIC) (MDG Achievement Fund, 2016, para. 8). A second Joint Programme initiative that is pending governmental policy was the revisions to the Performance and Public Entertainment Law of 2001. Another noteworthy goal for the Joint Programme was the Strategic Plan for copyright and intellectual property. Mozambique’s ten-year (2008-2018) IP plan draws on a multiplicity of sources and has as its vision for intellectual property the promotion of the “country’s economic, scientific, technological and cultural development” (Ncube, 2014, para. 2). Additional cultural policies that are also vital to sustainable tourism include rehabilitation of conservation areas, the protection of Mozambique’s biodiversity, and local sustainable projects to promote provinces as high-quality tourist centers (The Business Year, 2014, pars. 5-6).
Conclusion
Mozambique achieved an impressive 40 years of self-rule in 2015, undergoing drastic political and economic changes in the period prior to its transformation to a market-driven economy. Before democratization, Mozambicans survived both a brutal civil war and political crises. Now, they face the challenges of globalization. With the consolidation of peace achieved 20 years ago, Mozambique evolves both politically and economically while still facing major challenges in maintaining peace, developing a more inclusive democratic system and transforming the GDP growth into sustainable development. Significant poverty reduction and its geographic distribution remain largely unchanged despite the country’s average annual growth of seven percent (The World Bank, 2015, pars. 1 & 5). With the government’s five-year plan that focuses on jobs creation, Mozambique and its global collaborators target creating a comprehensive job strategy for excluded population sectors.
References
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