Most people would think colonization is a thing of the past, back when ships would arrive at “newly discovered” shores and exert full control over a territory. Sure, one could argue that this type of colonization isn’t seen as often (but is still present in some nations), however, there’s another kind that is very present today: cultural colonialism. Cultural colonialism can be defined as the cultural domination of one group over another, and Western media is the master of it.
As I’ve mentioned perhaps a billion times, I’m an immigrant from Brazil. In my homeland, American (and overall, Western) media is so overrepresented in our cinemas, TVs, magazines, and even social media feeds. This domination is seen worldwide, with a large example coming in the form of award ceremonies. Western media is always the winner by landslides. Since the Oscar’s conception in 1929, Brazilian films have only been nominated a total of 27 times, and we only won once, for a foreign production done by a Brazilian producer.Â
Perhaps the most controversial Oscars move that really showcased cultural colonialism (at least for us Brazilians) is when Fernanda Montenegro lost Best Actress to Gwylneth Paltrow in 1999. Montenegro’s performance in Central Station, a Brazilian movie about a retired teacher helping a boy find his missing father, was hailed by critics as deeply moving, helping the film reach an 8/10 rating on IMDB. Paltrow’s performance in Shakespeare in Love, a joint production by the US and the UK, on the other hand, only helped land a 7.1/10 IMDB rating. Many thought that Paltrow’s win was unwarranted, especially after she revealed in an interview that she uses the award as a doorstop. One can’t help but wonder if Montenegro would’ve lost the award if she was American or British. Probably not.
Cultural colonialism has a deep effect on the national identity of the countries whose media is ignored, such as Brazil. In Brazil, many citizens ignore or dislike most Brazilian media, calling it mindless, stupid, and other unfriendly adjectives, while they seldom hold the same sentiment for foreign media. This leads to Brazilian culture in general being rejected by a lot of Brazilian folks, who prefer sharing American and European culture, washing down our national pride and identity; every time I see a Brazilian post about “Valentine’s Day” on Feb. 14 (even though our VDay is June 12), a part of my soul dies.
It is everyone’s duty to stop cultural colonialism. Be intentional about the media you consume. Diversify your TV screens and bookshelves. Tell your friends to do it too. Maybe one day everyone’s media will be equally admired and awarded around the world.