The benefits of entertainment are two-fold, possibly three-fold. First there is the escapism, pure relaxation perk. Secondly, the arts//intellectual side, if the particular piece of entertainment allows it. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it allows you to become part of a conversation. Whether at your workplace, your book club, your dentist's office, the one sided conversation of radio. By watching, listening or reading certain things you are making yourself accessible for social interaction. You now have an avenue to connect to your coworkers, friends, classmates, strangers. Entertainment becomes like the weather.
So it's interesting to think of the cultural conversation in Rwanda. I'll use my block as an example because none of us have electricity. There is no TV show to talk about. We talk about the weather, the water station, sports that we listen to on the radio, and more often than not, the drama of our lives. The pieces of life shift a bit to fit different cultures, that's for sure. If you subtract the TV/movie piece, what do you put in it's place? If water is an inevitable resource in your life, what conversation fills its place? What's the common denominator in your culture?
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