IDENTITY AT TIMES OF GLOBALIZATION
The concept of globalization is an inexhaustibly debatable resource on a wide variety of levels such as politics, religion, culture, business and many other topics.
"Who am I?" - The search for identity is deeply rooted in every human being. Every human being is an individual and yet we belong to a society.
Of course, globalization is also leading to a decline in cultural traditions and values - but this does not always have to be viewed negatively. Firmly anchored ideas about how something should be is not always the right thing for a society or for me. We are no longer in the microcosm with its static rules, patterns of thinking and behavior. Today's information and communication systems make it possible to broaden their horizons and allow different perspectives.
With my portraits of women of various ethnicities, I would like to draw attention to their "customs and traditions" and their importance in society. On the one hand, globalization leads to a gradual crowding out of cultures, on the other hand, it also enables an examination of the practices marked by pain, suffering and contempt. Traditions are not necessarily calm and secure, but also contain outdated, even hostile rituals.
Here are some examples:
Padaung / Thailand
The neck spiral weighs up to 10 kilograms and an additional 15 to 20 kilograms are added to the arms and legs. It makes swallowing and hygiene difficult and yet the heavy fieldwork is mainly done by women. Rags are pushed under the neck corset to prevent soreness of the neck from rubbing in the heat.
Due to the limited freedom of movement, the entire upper body is rotated instead of the head, which leads to wasting of the neck muscles (atrophy).
Originally, certain offenses were punished with the removal of jewelry in order to humiliate the punished and expose them to the adverse consequences. This was considered a shame and resulted in exclusion from the community. Today there are about 8 "sightseeing villages / human zoos" with Padaung, which are marketed for the Thai tourism industry.
Apatani / Arunachal Pradesh in India
When inserting the nasal pricks, the nose is pierced with thin bamboo sticks and subsequently stretched until the wooden pegs fit into it.
Apatani women with nose jewelry are now over 40 years old and wear their face jewelry with pride. This is not the case for younger generations. Thus, this culture will inevitably become extinct in the next few decades.
Surma from Southwest Ethiopia
A Surma woman uses her first lip plate about half a year before her wedding. For this, the lower lip is cut through and the earlobes are perforated and widened. A larger plate is inserted until the lip is adequately stretched. The larger the lip plate, the greater the number of cattle as a bride price! Originally, this tradition was intended as a deterrent to prevent the robbery of women in times of slavery. In women, ornamental colors are common on the arms and upper body, which are carved today with razor blades.
Genital Mutilation
Genital circumcision or mutilation affects 140 million women, girls and infants!
This is in at least 24 countries, including Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Malaysia.
The circumcision or mutilation is done with special knives, but also with scissors, scalpels, broken glass, razor blades or lids of food cans. In general, no anesthetics, sedatives or disinfectants are used. The procedure lasts 15 to 20 minutes. Most circumcisions result in infections that many women die from.
In some countries, not only is the clitoris removed, but also the outer labia are sewn together. Thorn, silk or catgut is used as material for this purpose. The remaining skin of the labia majora then forms scar tissue over the vagina. The man cuts the sewn women on the wedding night with a knife or with broken shards.
At the birth of a child, the infibulation (suturing of the female genitals) must be reversed, so that the child can get through the solid scar tissue. After childbirth, it is sutured again and this process is repeated at each subsequent birth. All this serves the sexual pleasure of the husband.
A social pressure due to old customs and cultural traditions takes place. As in many cultures, fear of not getting social recognition and being expelled from society leads to ignorance of the fact that these practices have no religious origin.
Many, many societies, cultures, and religions of this world have turned woman into an inferior category human by various methods. So disparaging that for millennia, it was not even a crime in China to kill a woman. Confucius was convinced that the woman is without soul and consists only of body and such thinking of Confucius influences all of China. Killing a woman is not a murder. Therefore, there was no punishment. The woman was considered a thing, not as a living thing.
In India, the woman was taught for centuries that she was a slave (Dasi) of her husband (Swami - her master and master).
I do not want to value or accuse; For me it is all about the presentation in the cultural environment, in order to stimulate the viewer to think with the unquestioned traditions.
The portraits of women are not mere narrative portrayals. They are, regardless of the objectivity of the presentation, an invitation to debate...