The Globe in our Palms

Our parents used to scold us when our eyes wondered to keep them on the our food, instead of prolonging our necks with our eyes envying the big beef pieces on others’ plates. Whoever practiced such a behavior was called “someone with a small heart”. One who never appreciated and enjoyed what was right before their eyes thinking that what belonged to others was better than theirs.

They used to further teach us to enjoy the food on the plate, starting with the portion which was right before us as we reached for that which was on the furthest side of our plates. They detested it when one ate in a disorderly manner with their fingers all over the place as though they were playing in the food as one does when molding clay, leaving imprints of their DNA everywhere. You people, having meals was a whole event with food etiquette to follow.

Don’t talk while eating

Don’t sing as you eat

Chew properly before you swallow your food

Eat with your mouth closed (Toswankula)

Don’t move around before everyone is done eating

Remember to say thank you at the end of the meal

Today, we have the globe in our palms and our eyes often wonder to other “plates” of the globe. Our necks have grown long, scanning the entire globe with clicks and searches. It’s not bad though. The Baganda say, one who is not well travelled is the one who will praise one’s mother for being the most excellent cook they know. They further say that to travel is to see and to return is to talk about it. But as we appreciate what we’ve seen all over the world, as we learn new things, we should remember to appreciate our own content.

With that said, globalisation has come and it’s here to stay. It’s up to us as content creators to delight in our side of the globe and be proud enough to talk about it, to market it and make it known to the rest of the world. As Afro-content creators, sometimes we struggle to find pictures that match with what we’ve written about. Maybe that’s an indication that we still have alot of work to do in placing our villages and countries on the world map.

With the advent of social media and websites, our continent is not as obscure as it used to be. We’re constantly sharing our joyful moments which sells our culture of celebration to the rest of the world. Our exotic tourist destinations too are all over the place, enticing tourists to come check them out. The globe is in our palms and so we have the responsibility of creating authentic content which rightly represents our parts of the world.

As we learn from others all over the globe, let’s remember to write about our individual globe slices which are right before our eyes. That way our nooks and crannies will be in the palms of many.

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