Theme and message

The main theme of the poem “Kidnapped” by Ruperake Petaia is cultural imperialism or colonialism. The poem uses the perspective of a student from a colonised region (probably Samoa, where the poet is from) to explore and criticise the consequences of cultural colonialism.

Cultural colonialism (imperialism)

Colonisation is broadly defined as settling in and taking over lands and indigenous people in a certain area. The term cultural colonisation or cultural imperialism refers to the actions that colonisers take to promote or impose their own culture in the colonies they establish. A relevant example of cultural colonisation is colonisers imposing their religion on indigenous people.

The poem “Kidnapped” explores the way colonisers impose their cultural views and values through education, setting up typically Western educational systems in the lands they colonise.

The speaker of the poem goes to a school with Western teachers who teach him Western philosophy or about historical figures that are most relevant in the West and not where the speaker lives. Assuming the speaker...