ASIAN PERCEPTIONS OF BLACKNESS (Part 1)

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”

Isn’t that interesting? We only see what we want to see, want to process, want to believe. And that’s why perception is relative and perspective.

But is it the same when it comes to culture as well?

To find the answer to this question, we, two curious minds, Chloe (co-lead of this project) and I went on a journey to explore the Asian Perspective on African Culture. We invited representatives from different countries from all around Asia and asked their point of view!

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.”

Aristotle was the first person who talked about the concept of visual perception. According to him, only shiny objects like fire and sun reflect the light to the eyes. And that’s how we end up seeing things. Later on, after centuries of dedication, Arabic scholar Abu Ali Al-Hasan Al-Haytham confirmed the assumption of Aristide regarding the ray of light to be the truth.

After a while, Alhazen, also known to western historians as Ibn Al-Haytham, brought up neuropsychological aspects of visual perception. He also added that seeing happens more likely in the brain than in the eyes. Moreover, everything humans see or notice is influenced by personal experience or social upbringing. Later on, cultural and historical perspectives were being accepted and developed by Kepler or Descartes during the Renaissance.

So, we can say, perception is relative. It varies from person to person, nation to nation. Now, in this 21st century, Mass Media is playing an important role to create a perception for us. But the question is, are these perceptions real?

We have asked a few questions to delegates who are from different backgrounds. Someone is a professional trainer, someone is an Entrepreneur. We have interviewed students, researchers, and engineers.

Let's see what they have to offer us! (Read Part 2)