The Power of a Single Story

Principles of nkali

I recently went to Kosovo and it sparked something in me that I knew was festering because of common misconceptions. I am going to write about Kosovo and how beautiful and modern Pristina is…and lovely and romantic the setting is in Prizren…

But first I need share my thoughts on the powers of misconception and to expand the view outside the single story and how we misunderstand what we don’t know. I repeat this quote over and over and over and the Beatles sang about it in Strawberry Fields Forever.

Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see

Just my Humble opinion and perceptions from my experiences

Eastern Europe is so misunderstood

Misunderstood because of how the media narratives control the thoughts of the nations. Let me explain, when I told people that I was travelling to Eastern Europe, but more specifically Serbia, Albania, & Kosovo, the typical reaction was the question “Why? It’s so dangerous!” At first, my initial response was “No, no, not now…that’s in the past…” and after defending my destination choices for so long, my typical response morphed into…”Why Not? When was the last time you read a newspaper? Or based your opinion on something other than how the movies portray it?” or the more snarky response “Didn’t you just take a vacation in Mexico?” Yes, agreed! That response is ridiculous…let me tell you why…

My reason is because these eastern European countries get such a bad reputation in the movies and tv shows that people actually believe it as fact. The movie “Taken”…case and point. Didn’t your parents teach you that the movies are movies and you can’t believe everything you read and most importantly…there are ALWAYS two sides to every story. After all History itself is just a one-sided story.  You ask the Americans to describe what happened in Pearl Harbour or Hiroshima and you will have a very different story than if it were told by the Japanese.

The tour guide yesterday made a very valid point…what is history? Nothing more than HISstory!

That’s not a controversial opinion, that’s the truth.

So what is the Power of a Single Story?

And how to strive for the balance of stories

An award winning author from Nigeria, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, said the most profound thing that I have ever heard and I will NEVER forget it.  She was in University in the United States and her professor told her that her story wasn’t “authentically African”. WTF? In a story that she wrote, her characters weren’t believable because the characters were from Nigeria and they drove cars and were educated. The characters in her story were not starving or abused or uneducated and so her professor felt that her stories were not ‘authentically African’. THAT is the power of a single story.

If you have never heard of her I highly suggest you watch her TED talk “The Danger of a Single Story“. It will change life as you perceive it to be, well maybe not, but I hope that it will change how you consume information and allow space for alternative visions so you don’t write-off places like Albania and Kosovo.

She taught me that I am guilty too and the best thing I can do is to do better…and so I vow every day to do so.

Stories are too often governed by..

The Principles of nkali!

How stories are told, who tells them, when they are told and how many times….The Power of a Single story is exactly why people continue to assume that countries like Kosovo, Albania, Serbia are more dangerous than your weekend trip to Florida or your resort vacation in Mexico.

You can’t engage with a place and know its story without engaging in all of the stories of that place.

I don’t intend to offend anyone…but these are facts. If the facts are offensive it’s not because I repeated the facts, but because you don’t want your story to be this single story. Soooo, if you are finding yourself to be defensive then my simple request is to consider that just as you are feeling…others feel the same about their Single Story being told.

Historically yes, there has been turmoil

It’s true, it’s past, it’s present, it’s future

You tell me a list of countries that do not currently have some level of conflict on their soil!

All of Europe, heck most of world has had turmoil in its past. Let’s look at some dates…and of these dates and countries….you tell me WHY you only think Albania and Kosovo and Serbia are unsafe? No one raised an eyebrow when I went to Mexico for a week vacation last year.

Let’s be clear! Serbia, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo are the safest countries I have EVER felt, I even feel safer here in Eastern Europe than I do in Canada, and Canada is pretty stinking safe by world standards. MAYBE the only other country I have been that is possibly safer is Japan.

Note: These are just rounded dates and not exact

• 60 years ago: Hungary an uprising
• 50 years ago: Residential school murders of 1000’s of children in Canada
• 45 years ago: Portugal coup d’état
• 40 years ago: Spain coup d’état
• 30 years ago: Italy an uprising
• 25 years ago: Japan terrorist attack in the subway bombings
• 23 years ago: Kosovo war and Nato bombing in Serbia
• 2 weeks ago: Mexico drug war in tourist resorts
• 4 days ago: United States school shooting, gun violence, racist violence…looking at recent statistical reports I am even going to be bold enough to say…violence in the US is a weekly occurrence. Don’t believe me? Google it…there are tons a timeline driven statistical reports that support it from many sources.

Yet, I don’t see anyone batting an eye or raising an eyebrow at travelling to the US or Mexico, UK or Japan.

WHY? because you have more than one story.