Confessions of an African American Mzungu

I'm going through a bit of tough time at the moment. There are somethings that not many people can relate to. This mainly has to do with the fact that I’m African American but look African - but not technically from Africa. I am not the typical Mzungu (white person/foreigner) because I don't look like one. BUT, I do sound like one. So for the most part I keep my mouth shut and watch how people will treat me based on how I look, and then change how they treat me based on how I sound. Some may think that I should be grateful because I don’t get mzungu tax (charged higher because they are a mzungu), but I need to tell people that it’s not as great as you may think to be stuck between both worlds. People assume things about me based on how I look, talk about judging a book by its cover! So, these are the few things that I've come to realize...I apologize if I offend anyone, but I am just writing about my observations. I see both worlds, the mzungu world and the African world.

 First assumption - it seems that East Africans think that mzungu's have money. And that African's don’t have money and try to get over on one another.  I’ve even had quite a few instances where I went to a “mzungu” restaurant and waited 30 mins to be served (I had to flag down a waitress to take my order while other mzungu's were quickly seated and drinks served right away), the typical assumption is that Ugandan’s can’t afford to eat at these places so they don’t bother taking my order. But what most East Africans fail to understand is that it’s cheaper to live in East Africa compared to Europe and the States. So, it doesn’t mean that people are richer, but that it cost more to get the basic of things such as fruit. So to make up for the expense of a $6 pineapple, our salaries are adjusted based on where we live in the world.

 Second assumption - mzungu countries don’t have problems or corruption. I don’t know or understand where this assumption came from, but that struggle is all over the world. Bad people are everywhere, therefore, bad things such as corruption and an ineffective government is everywhere. Granted, countries such as the States don’t have the same types of problems as Uganda, but that doesn’t mean that American’s don’t have their own issues with their government.

 Third assumption - because I’m African American and look African…my parents must have come from Africa. Dear reader, you have no idea how annoying this assumption is to me. I really have to explain slavery to so many people and explain that African Americans come in different shades (or what I like to call flavors). Not every African American is light skinned, and not every dark African American migrated to America.  And would you believe that people don’t understand why my ancestors didn’t keep record of where they came from during slavery? I don’t get this inquiry from just Africans, but even other mzungu’s that aren’t from the U.S. I had to explain that many slaves couldn’t read or write and even speak the same language as one another when they were first brought to America. But, over time, they developed Pidgin (which sounds like broken English) in order to understand one another. So, African Americans had a lot more problems while being slaves than to recall where they came from (in which I also have to explain that the African countries weren’t in existence when my ancestors were probably brought over. The European nations created boundaries in order to keep the peace during colonizing).

Fourth Assumption – that I’m lying about being American. From what I understand, there are some African’s that lie about living in the UK or being from the U.S. and they fake an accent even. So, just for the record (I feel like Obama right now) I was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Both of my parents were born in Washington D.C. so I am a full born American Citizen. Do I need to release my birth certificate as well?

 
Fifth assumption (this goes to the young men in East Africa, mainly Uganda) – just because I talk to you every now and then, doesn’t mean that I’m interested in you or want to date you. I didn’t date when I was back home in the States and I carried that habit with me to Africa. I wasn’t counting on the guys assuming that I was interested in them because I decided to have a conversation with them. Nor was I counting on people being so hard pressed on dating someone by a certain age so that they can get married in time to have children. That’s a cultural difference that I understand, but again, just because I look African doesn’t mean that I am African and do as Africans do.

And the final assumption – Because I look like an East African, that I will automatically sympathize/empathize with the struggles of East Africans. This is the hardest one to deal with, I must admit. The assumption that I am going to feel bad and feel your pain because of the color of my skin is asking for a bad reaction from me. African American’s have their own struggles, but when I have Ugandans approaching me stating that it’s the United States responsibility to help Africa because they took some Africans and made them slaves, so obviously, the U.S. owes Africa. I couldn’t disagree with this more. First and foremost, I am American. An American that pays attention to the history of countries as well as world history at that. I’ve studied how the slave trade went down, and the African countries weren’t exactly innocent in that exchange. Second, I am African American, which means “my people” are other African Americans.  We have different types of struggles than Africans, and we can relate better to each other than to Africans given our unique history. We aren’t better or worse than Africans, but historically different than Africans, that’s all I’m saying.

These are the most common assumptions that people assume about me over here in East Africa. So, when I say to some of you “I have my good days and bad days”, these are the types of things that I’m dealing with.  It isn’t just people making comments, it’s being treated differently based on how I look and how I sound/act.  It can be quite lonely at times when my mzungu friends don’t understand what I’m dealing with or observe. Sometimes, they’ll even deny that what I just witnessed even happened, and that hurts more than anything. I have yet to run into another African American or even African European/African British person while in East Africa. For the first few months, I could deal with these assumptions and let them roll off me, but now, people start to get offended that I’m not what they think I am – that’s a reaction that I don’t think I’ll ever understand. So, yes, my experience here is like no other mzungu (unless they look African but aren’t African).

Even though these assumptions can make me feel a bit down at times, I want these experiences to also be the bridge to helping East Africa as well.  I think I’ve been put in this position for a reason, whether that’s to help people outside of East Africa understand their struggles better or to educate East Africans on the differences in people outside of East Africa. Whatever the case, I want my experiences to show that both sides of the world can be united, despite cultures. We’re all human, therefore, we all deserve the same rights and respect.

 

It's Adventure Time!

This past weekend was my 24th Birthday! It seemed that many people back home and here in Uganda were worried that I was going to be homesick. Boy! Were they wrong! Granted, I do miss home at times (like Starbucks, my dad and dogs, and Family Guy), but how can someone miss home when they can go on some pretty awesome adventures? This birthday was one to remember. I had a friend from back home who has relocated to Kisumu, Kenya for work come to Kampala over the weekend. It was a little funny to see her here because we've always made plans to hang out and go rock climbing back in the D.C. area, but our schedules never allowed for it. But here, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to go explore East Africa and do some extreme sports. My friend came up with the idea of going rafting on the Nile. Of course I said "YES!!" because I haven't been to the Nile since March and it would have been only the second weekend of being free from a Rotary/Rotaract event. 

So, early Saturday morning, we caught the shuttle provided by the rafting company to the location where we get the safety brief. While chatting over some coffee, we were able to meet some really interesting expats who either live in Uganda, the Congo, or are backpacking East Africa. We started to share the different places we had been and where we all wanted to go for our next adventure. Once we were all suited up and breakfast in hand, we got onto the bus and made the bumpy trip to the spot where we take off on the Nile.

My friend and I decided to go on the "crazy" raft which basically means we wouldn't avoid the rapid water (which means a higher chance of flipping over). Looking back, that may not have been so smart, but it sure was fun! On the calm water, we practiced pulling people in the water, how to paddle, and what to do WHEN we flipped and how to not fight against the current. Easy enough? Of course, in calm water, it's always easy to do these things.

So the adventure began with the first rapid (which was a grade 5) and we flipped. I haven't been rafting before and nor have I been thrown from a boat before, but instinctively, I panicked. I was safe, and was pulled back onto the raft once the boat was flipped back over, but the shock was one I wasn't expecting. We all had a good laugh at my reaction but knew that we all would be thrown out of the boat eventually. I would say it got easier as we progressed down the river, but it didn't. My nerves got better at being thrown around, but my adrenaline was constantly high as we would paddle towards a wall of water. But time after time, I was more happy that we pushed through and made it through the rapids and no one got hurt. It was actually a lot of fun! It may be scary for a split second, but you start to have fun when you realize that you're still alive.

 

After being on the Nile for the entire day, we ate lunch and enjoyed a Nile Special (a Ugandan beer). It seemed to really fit the occasion. We all agreed that our bodies were so exhausted but on the river, we didn't feel tired at all. It wasn't until we were on land that we could really feel the impact. When we arrived back in Kampala, my friend and I decided to go for a dinner celebration at a place that my flatmate recommended. And let me tell you, there is nothing better than ending an crazy day than some good food and a cozy resturant. Over dinner, my friend and I kept replaying the adventure and we couldn't believe at some of those instances that no one got hurt! Now, I warn anyone who is thinking about rafting on the Nile (or rafting rapids) that it's not for everyone. If you aren't a strong swimmer, then don't do it. If you don't like near death experiences, then rafting may not be for you. Not saying that you're close to dying when rafting, but your mind thinks you are when you can't see anything but water is all around you and waves are crashing over your head.

Although the adventure ended on Saturday, Sunday was the icing on the cake...or in this case, CUPCAKE! My friends keep hearing me ask about where I can find cupcakes in Kampala. That's one thing that I miss that I didn't expect to really miss. So, for lunch on Sunday, they surprised me with cupcakes! I couldn't have asked for a better set of friends (all over the world) and a better birthday. Thank-you everyone for your birthday wishes and making my birthday the best yet! Next year will be hard to top this one.





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Safari yangu ya Tanzania

Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. A bit cloudy but still amazing.

That's right! This post is dedicated to my safari to Tanzania. This is not going to be about Rotary, but instead my realizations of how Tanzania is such a beautiful country with a very interesting past!  I am now determined to go to the museum in Dar es Salaam when I return in a few weeks. Though Tanzania (TZ) may not have nearly as many resources as Uganda, it does have almost every climate possible. From the beaches of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, the dry deserts of Serengity, to the cold climate of the mountains and of course, Mt. Kilimanjaro. I was amazed at how big Tanzania is as well, so I decided to write a post dedicated to the beauty of Tanzania and also some questions that I have about the country as well.

First, I should tell all of you that the national language is Kiswahili. We usually call it Swahili in the west, but it's proper name is Kiswahili. It's quite an easy language to learn. I've actually picked up on quite a few words (as some of you have noticed if I emailed you or responded to your questions with some random kiswahili thrown in the sentence). I'm actually going to take it upon myself to learn kiswahili for a couple of reasons. One: my research - when some Rotarians referred me to a website that relates to my research, I was thrilled that it was so easy to get information! But then, once on the website, I realized that it was entirely in Kiswahili. This is a hiccup in my research plans but not so much that I'm going to have to alter my research methods. I'm just going to have to learn how to read and speak it. Hakuna Matata! Two: Tanzanians are great at speaking kiswahili, but not so much at speaking english. It's hard for me to be understood and for me to undestand them. Even though english is the official second language, it's clearly not widely used among Tanzanians. So, it would be in my best interest to learn kiswahili for the sake of getting around the country.  The best part about learning kiswahili is that I don't have to change my voice in order to speak it! If you have ever learned a language like French or Spanish, you know that there are some words or phrases that require you to alter the tone of your voice in order to mean  one thing or the other. In kiswahili, the way it's spelled is the way it sounds.

I was also so shocked at how polite the Tanzanians are. After every verbal exhange, a person will say "Asante Sana" which means "Thank you very much". Often times, I felt so weird saying it after every little thing, but that's the way it is in TZ. People are generally more laid back a polite. This made me question the culture of TZ, why was everyone so laid back? And I recalled some of the readings I had come across for my research and even some conversations with some Tanzanian Rotarians about the history of Tanzania. I know not many people like history and all that boring stuff so I'll keep it simple.

Tanganyika ( it was not called Tanzania until Tanganyika and Zanzibar united in 1964) was colonized by the Germans, then practically sold to the British. In 1961, Tanganyika got it's independence from the British much like how Uganda and Kenya did a few years later, by the British setting up their constitution and putting a system in place that would allow the people to continue to function as a country. The first independent government functioned as a socialist government in order to ensure equality to all of it's people. That didn't really work out as great as they had hoped, so the president stepped down and handed over the power to a more democratic government.  Those socialist ways are still in place, so to speak. An example of this is that the TZ government owns all the land and a person just rents the land from the government for about 99 years.  Interesting isn't it? It is to me, mainly because I attributed the laid back mentality of the people to the government's power.  Why should a person stress out about things when the government is going to take care of it all? That question sounds very similar to some debates over government assistance in the U.S. doesn't it?

Statue of a Maasai warrior.

Another interesting thing about TZ is the culture...which has been lumped into one big pot.  I know this seems confusing, so I'm going to compare TZ to Uganda. Uganda has kingdoms and tribes and clans. One can belong to the Buganda kingdom, or be an Acholi or Bokica (pronounced Bo-chi-ka in central Uganda). But, in Tanzania...you're first and foremost a Tanzanian. THEN you're a part of a tribe, but even then, the tribes don't have such a strong hold on a person as it does in Uganda. I was fascinated by this, not just because it directly related to my research, but mainly because for the first 2 months of the scholarship year, I had been in an country where I constantly was asked which tribe I belonged to or asked if I was Bokica or Buganda. The only question  I was asked in TZ about my origins was if I was Kenyan and Rastafarian. I did see plenty of Maasai warriors in the traditional Maasai wardrobes as security guards, but that's about as much historical culture I witnessed in TZ.

All in all, Tanzania is a beautiful country. I realize that I have so much more to write about the country and it's relations to Zanzibar in particular, so I'll save that for another post.  If you're planning on visiting TZ to go to the beach, go on a safari to Serengity or do what almost every mzungu does and climb Kilimanjaro, make sure to learn a little Kiswahili. Even if you mess up with the words, they're so kind that they'll help you learn. With the kindness of the people, the beautiful landscape, and great food, you too will be singing hakuna matata like Timon and Pumba in the Lion King.