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March 18, 2004

Guaraní and globalization

Am trying to learn a few phrases in Guaraní. Everyone speaks Spanish here in Asunción, but among themselves they speak guaraní. The churches are built according to Spanish architectural forms, but the ornamentation and the merchants surrounding them use native religious artifacts that are far removed from European forms.

The blend is fascinating, especially when speaking with Catholics and learning about their Guaraní-Spanish identity encountering globalization. The TV broadcast stations use the spanish language exclusively. The grassroots media producers who use analog videotape and editors, use Guaraní with some spanish. The institutional church, unable to enter into the main corporate media structures (Spanish), finds its way through the independent productions in Guaraní that circulate informally among the community.

Adán

Posted by Adan at March 18, 2004 05:29 AM

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