BALANCE of CULTURE

North Carolina's Hunger Games Experience

When a work of art makes people want to visit the setting location, you know the creators have done something right. That's why the state of North Carolina has taken advantage of the mega movie hit Hunger Games by making a four-day real-life travel itinerary for fans who want to experience the road to Panem (and more). 

A brief breakdown of the Charlotte-to-Asheville-and-back schedule:

Day 1
Imagine you’re Effie, leaving the decadence of the Capitol (Charlotte), dropping by District 12 (Hildebran), then landing in a fun-loving place that makes film stars feel at home (Asheville).

Day 2
Having eaten as well as the Tributes during training, prepare to enter the Arena (DuPont State Recreational Forest between Brevard and Hendersonville).

Day 3
Journey from the heart of District 12 (Shelby) to the belly of the Capitol (Charlotte) and sense the atmospheric change from small-town warmth to urban cool.

Day 4
Explore the Capitol (Charlotte), which turns out to be Haymitch’s kind of place.

Southern states like North Carolina (and Louisiana, evidently) are eager to have movies filmed inside their borders for this very reason--a means for tourism that goes beyond the traditional. Surely with such a huge hit on their laps, the North Carolina tourism board will be able to capitalize on interest that simply wasn't there before the movie. And in an even longer-term perspective, hopefully the Hunger Games fans who visit in order to mimic Katniss' journey will also engage in the local culture itself. 

See the full itinerary. 

More Voices Rise in Maldives Conversation

Maldives is a country that has been on my radar since my first visit to the atoll nation several years ago. I've been closely watching the developments in Male since February 7, when President Nasheed was ousted from power by what he calls a "military coup."

The surge of women protest groups has been one of the most interesting and inspiring occurrences the past month. In this Muslim nation, these women have banded together to voice their discontent with the coup, even being dealt with unnecessary force by local police (the police brutality against protesters in Male has been constantly brought up by human rights activists).

One of the most surprising details to surface this week was the unlikely position of current President Waheed Hassan's brother, Naushad Waheed, who lives in the UK. Apparently Naushad is "so upset over developments that he has taken to the streets of London to distribute antigovernment leaflets."

Of his brother, Naushad states that "He believes that he is serving his country as the leader of a legitimate government, but I do not agree with him. The new government I believe is guilty of committing human rights abuses against the opposition."

During the last few years, it seemed that the Maldives as a nation was ready to pursue a path to progress. It became a democracy, flourished with foreign investments and high tourism growth, and was pushing for global climate change education. (Some of its low-lying islands are already submerged due to climate change.) With the unfortunate chaos that consumed the capital earlier this year, it's up to the traditionally unpolitical local women's groups and people close to those in power (like Naushad in London) to strive for the continued efforts of the past few years.

With all of this KONY talk buzzing online, it's disappointing that the developments in the Maldives -- which some account as the precursor to the Arab Spring -- has made relatively little headway in global communications.

Hopefully the new documentary film The Island President will put more of this small yet geopolitically-important country in our international conversation.

The Dictator on the Red Carpet

[Update: He's been banned!…or perhaps not!]

With all the dramatic developments of the Arab Spring that has occurred in over a year, it's not a surprise that Hollywood is coming out with a movie that uses some of the subject as inspiration. Whether categorized as insensitive material or mere entertainment, Paramount has big hopes for Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy titled The Dictator.

Cohen is already known for pushing the envelope with daring characters that border on the racially- and culturally-risqué, such as Borat. This time, the high profile actor-comedian is rumored to be planning on attending this year's Academy Awards red carpet dressed up as The Dictator's title character, to the dismay of the Oscars' organization.

A spokesperson for the Oscars even went so far as to say, "We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The Red Carpet is not about stunting." I am not sure how this person can claim with a straight face that there is a lack of "stunting" on any red carpet, let alone the Academy Awards, but this is the stance that most "purists" are taking in their chagrin towards a costumed Cohen.

Seems to me they're being not only rather uptight about the industry they work in but also pretty hypocritical. If this costume offends people in any way, they should probably recall the concept of storytelling as well as reevaluate some Hollywood issues that actually deserve some ethical critique -- Woody Allen and Roman Polanski come to mind right away. If Hollywood can stomach looking the other way from the decisions of those two glorified filmmakers, who seriously cares about a silly costume on the red carpet? If anything it might keep things interesting!

The trailer is pretty awesome though, especially with the Panjabi MC tunes in the background:

China's Next President to Ink Hollywood Joint Venture

This week much of US political news has been focused on Xi Jinping's official state visit from China. Xi is China's current vice president and heir-apparent.

Xi met with President Obama in the Oval Office, where Xi was approached with a candid welcoming discussion on subjects like a balanced trade flow between the US and China as well as America's commitment to recognizing critical human rights issues.

But Xi isn't leaving for home after DC: he is schedule to visit Los Angeles on Friday to ink a new joint venture between two Chinese media groups and DreamWorks Animation (DWA).

This will be a huge deal for both sides: production studios will be built in Shanghai for China's cinema market, which is the fastest growing in the world: with a growth rate of three screens a day, China is set to be the world's largest cinema market within 10 years.

Hollywood media will be able to infiltrate the spendy and increasingly relevant Chinese film market with less restrictions, a sort of victory in its challenging adaptation to the dwindling global movie market in recent years. Meanwhile, China's role in international film culture will finally expand beyond its state-owned sensibility (though to what extent is still difficult to measure). At any rate, the soft power angles here are undeniable, and both Hollywood and China could use a little sprucing up in terms of global taste anyway.

Xi is expected to become China's president in 2013.

China Meets Africa in New Documentary

During my research trip to Tanzania and Kenya a few months ago, I was bracing myself for the experience of a lifetime. And it certainly was, on so many levels -- especially the extent of China's influence on the region.

Reading about it is one thing, but to actually witness this in person was pretty trippy: Chinese vehicles (cars, trucks and busses), Chinese manufacturing equipment, Chinese tourists, and even a Chinese restaurant (that had been there for decades by a local Chinese family, I should add!) was in effect…all the way in East Africa! It was a real "Balance of Culture" trip for this Korean American chick!

So I'm super eager to watch this new documentary, “When China Met Africa,” made by brothers Marc and Nick Francis. In 2005 the Francis brothers encountered Chinese workers building a road in the Ethiopian countryside and were immediately interested as Marc had once lived in Shenzhen.

Strong Asian investment throughout Africa soon became apparent to them and they decided to track and film three men in Zambia who represent this "new" wave of Afro-Sino relations. (I should add that China is now Africa's largest trading partner but this relationship had been developing for decades, well before 2005!")

The Francis brothers were right when they felt that the Chinese workers building an Ethiopian road in the middle of nowhere was "the future." China, and Asia in general, is exerting its influence all over the world today -- even in lands and cultures most distant from them. This documentary is sure to have some fabulous footage for those who've seen this new meeting of cultures in person, as well as those who wish to someday experience Africa firsthand!

"When China Met Africa" is out on DVD now. Here's a great Q&A with the directors.

BoC Dérive: 21 October 2011

Online Dérive:

HOLLYWOOD ABROAD: The US State Department has awarded University of Southern California (my alma mater!) a $1-million grant to administer a program of film screenings to US embassies abroad.

VISUAL: More State news--smARTpower has officially launched (see my Huffington Post piece on this program).

HEADING HOME: Today President Obama announced that US troops will leave Iraq by the end of December 2011.

CUNNING: How Qaddafi managed to fool the world while gaining unlikely but widespread power.

LOCKOUT: The NBA talks are going…not so well.

EXCHANGE: If you're in Seoul this weekend, the "Prague Days in Seoul" festival will be full of art, music, dance and film from the Czech Republic (a reciprocal event from Prague's successful 2009 "Days of Seoul in Prague.")

DEPICTIONS: This new fashion magazine from London is full of hand-drawn images -- no photographs -- of both current and historical female fashion icons.

BACHELORETTE: These days single ladies simply aren't interested in marrying the growing numbers of deadbeat guys or middle-aged wannabe playboys.

MUSIC: Sauti za Busara, Zanzibar's annual music festival, has announced their lineup for 2012 (see my post from Sauti za Busara 2011).

BoC Dérive: 12 August 2011

Online Dérive:
EAST AFRICA: At least 3.7 million people, nearly half the Somali population, are now directly at risk of famine and tens of thousands have already perished.

SYRIA: "I guess the Obama administration really was serious abt this whole "leading from behind" thing" -@shadihamid

BOURGEOIS: Some parallels between Britain's riots and A Clockwork Orange.

TRY AGAIN: Yeah, this should "really" solve the protests and riots going on in Britain.

FAIL: The United Nations is set to screen controversial new film The Whistleblower, which implicates one of the most heinous failings of the organization.

RED SOLE: Christian Louboutin has lost the legal battle against Yves Saint Laurent.

BoC Dérive: 3 June 2011

Returning to LA means one thing: In-n-Out! (And yes, that's his tongue!)

 

Online Dérive:

Syria: Amid widespread unrest, Syria has shut down most of its internet and cell phone data connections early this morning.

RIP: Former LA Black Panther Elmer G. "Geronimo" Pratt has died at 63 years old in his Tanzania home.

North Korea: The government is drawing plans to develop an international tourist spot.

Nuclear: With Japan's ongoing struggles with the Fukushima reactor, Switzerland and Germany have developed plans to phase out their dependence on nuclear energy.

Tech: IBM has opened its first office in East Africa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with plans for more offices throughout the continent by 2015.

Film: The Tourist, which pretty much bombed in the US, is shining overseas -- revealing the real market objective for movies these days.

Chocolate: 40-year old supermodel Naomi Campbell is suing confectioner Cadbury for an allegedly racist ad where she is compared to a chocolate bar.

For your summer travels: The Telegraph's 250 best iPad travel apps!

Imitation is...

Apparently New Zealand's Wellington Airport wants to go ahead and construct a huge "Wellywood" sign (Wellington is a New Zealand city that has an established film production business thanks to Lord of the Rings) on par with Los Angeles' "Hollywood" sign, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce -- the trademark holder -- isn't too amused.

Neither are some New Zealanders, who think it's sad that they are copying another country's cultural object and become too American-ized.

Kind of funny, a bit quaint. Hollywood is a global label -- think Bollywood, Nollywood....now Wellywood!

I have to admit, I'm pretty accustomed to seeing references of our city's movie industry all over the place when traveling abroad, and this doesn't faze me one bit. It's no news how much foreigners love the concept of Hollywood!

As Charles Caleb Colton said about imitation...

[Photo: EPA / Wellington Airport]

Taliban's @alemarahweb brought to you via San Francisco's Twitter

I always find it so intriguing when foreign entities declare a lifestyle stance that initially strives to be staunchly anti-Western but eventually succumb to the myriad offerings of entertainment or technology that are so abundantly offered by the targets of their hate.

Although the Taliban once banned all movies and TV from Afghanistan, what do you know? They are now on Twitter, waging their ideological battle via a very Western platform. Mostly written in the Pashto language but also in English, they send out updates of their attacks on troops.

Similar to Kim Jong Il's love affair with Hollywood movies, these growing instances of America-haters that embrace certain things that are actually very Western should be taken seriously. While governmental diplomacy and intelligence are certain foundations for official communication and exchange, these subtle cultural connections are what will undoubtedly be the more authentic, credible and -- most importantly -- personal agents for future relations.

Sounds simple because it is -- agents for soft power are only growing with our global advancements in technology and entertainment. The days of old fashioned black and white diplomacy are of the past.