Goddamn, Global Capital is Weird!

Here's a link to a BBC article about a remote Kenya village that is carving officially licensed Simpsons statues out of soapstone.

A group of carvers in western Kenya are looking forward to the first Simpsons movie hitting big screens around the world, even though they are unlikely to see it.

Although most of them in the remote village of Tabaka in Kisii have never watched the animated TV show, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have changed their lives and the new film should see demand for their work soar they hope.

Soapstone carving is a traditional craft passed down from generation to generation, and the Abagusii tribe is renowned for their carving prowess.

So when Twentieth Century Fox designated the Tabaka soapstone carvings as official Simpsons merchandise in July 2006, their lives improved overnight.

This reminds me of an old State skit called "Thank you free market," in which former Soviet professions who have been reduced to selling knock-off Western crap on the street proclaim their thanks to the free market. I suspect that this one would go something like this: "I used to be a venerated artisan who created art that was meaningful to my family and my community, but now thanks to the free market I made schlocky cartoon crap. Thank you free market!"