What does Sustainability Mean to You?

First Link

Globalization

As I was reading the article on sustainability, I was drawn to the world globalization to the point that the word was almost scratching my eyes. So therefore, what else is a curious monkey to do when the little red button is blinking right below a sign that sure enough says "do not push the red blinking button." Reading the first line into this globalization article, it proved my point. Globalization was referred to as a transformation, a phenomena that goes world wide. How is sustainability taken globally?

Sustainability could be taken globally through the government. It is not the only option, but the U.S. Government has so much influence on the world to day.

As for the other ways it starts with the us, the smaller people of America, those who want a change in the world. This could be one of the ways that sustainability taken globally. -- Alex Moser

Second Link

World Social Forum

Then I stumbled upon the slogan for the World Social Forum which was "Another World is Possible." The phrase is enough to generate a positive vibe, but leaves enough room for open interpretation. Come to find out, the first World Social Forum was held in January of 2001 and is held annualy to encorporate ideas and suggestions for organizing strategies and other global campaigns for issues that are world wide, hopefully to find solutions for sustainability. Reading about the criticism that this forum had to deal with was slowly starting to go in one and ear and out the other, so I figured it would be of good nature to continue my journey through the sustainability of Wikipedia.

Third Link

Kenya

The World Social Forum was criticised for completely throwing some of the poorer regions of the world out of the forum, such as Kenya. Why why did I chose Kenya to be my next stop? Honestly, it was probably beacuse of the simple fact that I just thought Kenya sounded interesting. There wasn't really anything much deeper then simply that, and also it may have been because I thought there would be more interesting ways I could branch off of Kenya then I could sticking to something so specific. Once again, my point was proven. The table of contents had a plethra of opprotunities for me finally explore something I could possibly be interested in. And then it came to me. Theathre. Throughout high school I was the queen of drama (not to be mistaken for a drama queen, they are both two entirely different things...I think). Basically, I loved it. I made it my life. I met the most amazing people and performed in over 20 plays. I couldn't help but to see what the Kenyan Theatre was like. One of the largest drama events in Kenya is the Kenya schools and college drama festival and it is held south of the Sahara. The desert? Doesn't sound too comfortable for the performers or the viewers. Shortly after the name Ngugi Wa Thiong'o followed the word 'legendary.' Now if the man is so legendary why haven't I heard of him? Of course I had to find out, once again with the blinking red button.

Fourth Link

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

Who is this man and why is he legendary? This man is simply the jack of all trades! The author of everything from plays, novels, short stories, children's literature, essays, criticism. You name it, he's written it. When reading about his family, a question arrised when I found out that his mother and stepbrother were both tortured and killed due to the Mau Mau rebellion, otherwise known as the Mau Mau Uprising. It clicked back to the World Social Forum and their slogan "Another World is Possible." It shows the growth and development that has taken place world wide to try and create peace. Yes we have come a long way, but it seems as though that we will never truly rid of all the war and fighting that goes on. The other world that this WSF is trying to convey is basically a Eutopia that will never realistically happen, seeing as though places such as Kenya and South Africa aren't even being included into this Forum they are trying to create. And as Mr. Conner says, the best conversations are the ones that never actually take place on topic. 

Fifth Link

Mau Mau Uprising

Now I couldn't let myself sit there and make my own presumptions of what this Mau Mau Uprising, maybe something along the lines of the Boston Masacre? So I investigated and came upon my fifth and last link of the journey. Seems to be that this uprising was a rebellious act of the Kenyan rebels against the British rule lasting 8 years between 1952 to 1960, right before the 60's protesting phase we went through. I guess we just seemed to catch onto the rebellious spirit (joke of course, sorry I'm not that funny). However, the Kenyans had a wiser tactic because in 1963 their fight actually got them what they wanted: independence.

Alterations/Additions

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, I discovered, "is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal, Mutiiri." There was absolutely no description of what this Mutiiri was. Doing my research, I found that it is an excercise that show the depth and intellect that the African languages also can, and do, contain just as any other abstract dialect does. Even something small of that nature would be good to include so you do not leave readers in the dark of his 'legendary' work. Maybe not necessarily everything to do with sustainability, but they were definitely topics that striked my interest.

Back-Lauren Dow