A message from a reader...
We have received the message below from a reader of our website in regard to our campaign against the 'Traditional Funeral Ceremony' which is "celebrated" on Sumba Island, Indonesia.
This "ceremony" is horrific beyond words. You can see the related page on our website by clicking here, but we must warn you that the images are very very graphic!
This "ceremony" is horrific beyond words. You can see the related page on our website by clicking here, but we must warn you that the images are very very graphic!
Name
Rod Eluy
Comment
How do you respond to the view that you are part of a long tradition of western imperialists seeking to impose a moralistic European worldview on ancient cultural traditions - as in Sumba Indonesia? Where is your sensitivity for cultural diversity? Is this yet another example of West / European culture seeking to impose values on the 'less enlightened' or 'uncivilised natives'? Cheers
Rod Eluy
Comment
How do you respond to the view that you are part of a long tradition of western imperialists seeking to impose a moralistic European worldview on ancient cultural traditions - as in Sumba Indonesia? Where is your sensitivity for cultural diversity? Is this yet another example of West / European culture seeking to impose values on the 'less enlightened' or 'uncivilised natives'? Cheers
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;
courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~ Winston Churchill ~
courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~ Winston Churchill ~
Our answer...
Dear Rod Eluy,
Selamet pagi. In response to your comment, we are sorry to disappoint you, but your view that we are ‘part of a long tradition of western imperialists seeking to impose a moralistic European worldview on ancient cultural traditions - as in Sumba Indonesia’, is essentially incorrect.
I am very much a part of the Occupy for Animals team, and have been from the time it was founded last year. I am from India, and I have lived in Indonesia for the past 18 years. I love both my country of origin, and my country of domicile, and like most of us in the East, I was brought up to respect tradition and cultural diversity. At the same time, I guess I am also progressive enough to question traditions that have no relevance today, and most definitely those that are cruel, bigoted and prejudiced. For example, the tradition of female infanticide in my country, India. Or the hypocrisy of the ‘sacred cow’ tradition, where we will say the cow is holy, but allow it to be slaughtered. Old cows and bulls are turned onto the streets once they are past their prime, leaving them to fend for themselves in the urban milieu, where they are often hit by trucks and cars and left to die in the street. This is hardly respect for the ‘sacred cow’, and our treatment of animals per se is deplorable. And this is happening in Gandhi’s country, which gave the world ‘ahimsa’, or non-violence towards all living creatures. What we do belies who we are, and what we say we believe in.
Similarly in Indonesia, which I love dearly, it is a fact that there is a lot of needless cruelty inflicted on animals, both in the name of tradition and otherwise. From your name, I am assuming you are Indonesian. I mean no offense when I say that some of the traditions here are cruel; I’m sure you will agree it is a fact. And no, this is not a case of seeking to impose ‘Western’ values on ‘less enlightened’ or ‘uncivilized’ natives; it is more a case of engendering compassion towards the other species we share this planet with. Animals are not ‘lesser’ than us in any way; in fact they are most often far more compassionate and ‘humane’ than humans.
And yet, animal abuse happens everywhere. It is our mandate to create widespread awareness about it and stop it from happening... in our lifetime.
The Sumba sacrifice is just one such instance. We are currently also campaigning against the Gadhimai mass animal sacrifice in Nepal, another gory tradition that is, alas, a Hindu ritual; also against the Khokhana goat sacrifice in Nepal and Nem Thuong pig sacrifice in Vietnam. And that’s just the traditional religious rituals in the East, all of which are horrific.
We also campaign against bullfighting in Spain and France, dog spinning in Eastern Europe, dolphin slaughter in Japan and the Faroe islands, all of which are non-religious traditions.
And we campaign against vivisection, factory farming, slaughterhouses, gassing of homeless animals… you name it. If it involves animal abuse, we’re on to it. Wherever in the world it’s happening. If it interests you, you can check all this out on our website: www.occupyforanimals.org
I hope you will find our response answers your questions; the intention here is never to insult or denigrate either individuals or countries, but to put an end to the abuse and suffering of animals. That, in a nutshell, is our mission. Nothing more, nothing less.
For and on behalf of Occupy for Animals,
Priya Tuli