In today’s news, a new world map was endorsed by the UN and wow it really changes the perspective. I was really accustomed to the old map, the warped map that tried to fit a 3D image on a 2D space. Mercator Map! I know most people must be. I bet my friend Russell Kirkpatrick would be excited by this. Equal Earth Cartographic Projection! Now Greenland is smaller and Africa is bigger and the emphasis is not on Europe and the USA now. I really like it and I am so surprised how different it looks. Who knew maps were political instead of being objective. I suppose with borders moving that’s political but this view of the world we have had has been around for nearly 500 years. Of course, the USA did not vote for the change and spoke against.
Can we say it’s just a map? I considered them neutral things but I recall one map workshop Russell did and he showed all kinds of different maps, just as one modeled on the cross/crucifix and that was a very church map that had the church in the centre of town. And different shaped maps. Also, Russell said maps were very male oriented because males and females navigate differently. I always thought I was good at reading maps and navigation back in the days before GPS and phone guidance. However, I go the wrong way a lot just getting out of a lift. I also couldn’t tell you where north was most of the time.
About twenty years ago, I was looking for a building one morning, my first day on an audit. I could not find this particular street. I asked people and they didn’t know and it was the most prominent street in Canberra. But I did not know that. I rang a guy I knew and he said go to this corner and face north. I was like where is north. Mind you by then I was hot, sore footed and very late so was getting beyond rational. I did find it in the end, but if someone had said, in the building with the duty free shop, I would have found it first up! Hahaha. So maybe Russell was right and it’s a sex differentiation thing.
But yay for Africa being big.
Donna Maree Hanson, Author, Phd in Creative Writing 