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The Emperor’s New Clothes

The Emperor’s New Clothes is a story that has entertained young and old alike for centuries. The first known version appeared in India in the 11th century, with retellings in Persia, Turkey, Spain, Russia, Germany and eventually the best-known account by Hans Christen Andersen in the 19th Century.  It is the story of two swindlers who convince a vain king that they can make him a splendid garment that can only be seen by those who are not stupid. In reality there is no garment at all, and when the king appears in public, everyone pretends they can see the robes, for fear of being ridiculed, except for a child who shouts out the obvious - that the king is naked. Once one voice speaks the truth, the whole crowd finally dares to say it out loud.

It also serves as a metaphor for social and political behaviour. Psychologists use the term ‘pluralistic ignorance’ when individuals conform out of fear of social disapproval not realising others hold similar, but unexpressed, views. In the past groups of people would gravitate towards each other as they became aware of shared discontent with prevalent political systems. Some grew into full-fledged ideologies or revolutions, while others formed small think tanks. Today, social media enables a far greater number of people to connect at an unprecedented scale, whether to share a niche style of art or creative writing or even, unfortunately to share hatred.

Where once the few influenced the many, today the many challenge and attempt to influence the few. While governments and media stand resolutely behind Israel’s actions, a far greater number are pushing their governments to acknowledge the genocide of Palestinian people. The bold little boy who spoke the truth in the fable, is now a vast number of people across the world.

Many institutions that became entrenched over the last hundred or so years, seem to have lost their relevance. The high-flown ideals of democracy, human rights, educational systems, legal procedure, definitions of development, business models and banking have all been exposed as benefitting a few rather than addressing human development as a whole. The scales have fallen from the eyes of society. Words like empowerment, participation, governance, poverty alleviation, climate change are what Helen Hintjens calls in her article, The Emperor's New Clothes: A Moral Tale for Development Experts?, ‘the illusory nature of .. re-packaging of development policies in the 1990s’. They read like vanities of a world of cultural dominance that began their adventure of missionary zeal and colonization in the 15th century. The aim was to create a world in its own image, and for its own benefit.

The First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Mada Bio, spoke for Africa when she said “We are not sleeping any more.  You continue to call us corrupt but you keep our corrupt money. You show us how to hide our money because it’s good for your banking system. You make profit on us and then you give us peanuts. We are not going to allow them any more to use our heads of state to keep us in poverty The young people are not going to allow this”. Ibrahim Traore, the interim leader of Burkina Faso, who has escaped nine attempts on his life, defiantly thwarted an attempt by the French to bribe locals with billions to oust him, probably as he was determined to re-negotiate mining contracts to benefit his own country.

The efficacy of the UN Security Council is questioned. Fifteen people who make up the council, including five with veto power, are tasked with maintaining peace, and protecting human rights for 8 billion people. Until the inclusion of China in 1971, the permanent members represented countries that made up 7.62% of the world population. The Italian ambassador, along with Pakistan, Mexico and Egypt, founded the "Coffee Club" in 1995, asking for consensus before G4 nations were given permanent seats. In a short time 50 countries joined the movement. The African Union has asked for an end to the veto power and representation of Africa on the council, a continent of over a billion people.

The time for blind conformity seems to be coming to an end, making a space for speaking truth to power.

 

 

Durriya Kazi

April 6, 2025

Karachi

durriyakazi1918@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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