Reflection Blog

In this blog a reflection on Henry’s elevator pitch about the Shell company will be done. Henry started his pitch well by first showing what the company shell means to an average American. How it is simply an oil company that helps bring the gas in the cars of Americans in America. What brought an interesting turn to his pitch was when he changed the lens of what the company means to someone from Nigeria. The narrative flips as over there it is a symbol of oppression. How the company exploits natural resources of the country by bribing the government. This to me was quite surprising to hear from Henry, who has never been to the African continent. 

This to me was just another story as I have been living in Guinea, West Africa for the past 7 years. Most western companies come to the continent as some kind rich organization that will bring jobs and help develop the country, but almost all just end up exploiting it. The energy in the room certainly changed after Henry talked about the second perspective, as it is one that is usually kept hidden from the Western people. 

I would recommend Henry to change his tone while shifting through the two lenses of looking at the company. It will help highlight the gravity of the situation and bring out the duality in the nature of the company. Will the company act/think more ethically if it was an oil company in the U.S or any other Western nation? Does racism play a role in this situation? Exploring these questions can help the audience see these two lenses better by diving in the sophistications and connections that it holds with other world problems. 

Though I was aware about this company’s exploitation, I did learn from Henry’s elevator pitch. Henry made a point in his pitch that this is a British company that is exploiting African people and resources and selling the oil/gas to the U.S. This reminds me a lot of the triangle slave trade. Though it might not be as extreme, it seems like a modern variation of it.