A Different Exchange!

During the Conference of Youth, one of the delegates had rather casually commented on the lack of interaction between the people from the global south and the global north. This was a comment that rang true and not surprisingly, there was more to this then just the fact of one party keeping to itself. So how does one bridge this divide if it’s ever possible? And how does this co-relate to how we can make it in the future.

One of the obvious reasons for this is the language barrier that hinders interaction in any common language(in most cases English) thereby creating a void between the two speakers that only grows with repeated fending off of a possible conversation. This is aggravated when one realizes their position in a conversation with someone who supposedly speaks better than him/her. So instead of creating an atmosphere that encourages more interactions, many cases rise that leave the individual, who in this case could be a person from Asia or Africa, annoyed and frustrated. So how can this language barrier be resolved? Simply by more meaningful interactions where both the people are equal in all respects and neither explicitly takes advantage of his/her ‘eloquence’.

Another reason is the lack of adequate representation of the global south at such conferences. Many students from Asia and Africa find themselves in the minority thereby reducing the probability of more interactions and thus a weaker relation between the two parties. Huge cultural differences between nations also cause a major part of the problem. While some groups tend to be conservative with their opinions and lifestyles, others are more open and invariably seek out company of their choice. Lest I sound condescending of the global north, I wish to emphasize that the COY has presented an amazing platform for the world’s youth to come together.

The Government delegates don’t help much either! Talking to the Indian Youth Delegation, Mr Prodipto Ghosh from TERI told us not to listen to the policies of the Europeans or Americans and avoid getting carried away while advising us to play the equity game. What called for these unwarranted claims might be a subject for another analysis but it just goes to show a feeble antagonistic feeling that is being propounded.

So one needs to start looking at how this divide can be reduced and how that would do a world of good for any future talks or discussions. More representation from the global south? More cultural exchanges? A better understanding of working together? An uplifting environment with cultural instruments? Whatever be the solution, it needs to be implemented soon.