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Issue 00430 |
July 29 - August 4, 2006 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Features |
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Excerpts of a new book, Africans and Americans :Embracing Cultural Differences, by Joseph L. Mbele East Africans call a white person mzungu, and in parts of West Africa, they use the word toubab, as we see, for example, in Sembene Ousmane’s novel, God’s Bits of Wood. In the African villages, the sight of a mzungu causes much excitement. Some people will stare at a mzungu, out of curiosity or wonderment. The children will follow a mzungu around, curious and amused. The smaller children and babies might scream in terror. Gradually, however, what was strange begins to appear normal. In Africa, the little children do get used to the mzungu and come into his or her house to talk and play. I have undergone the same change. These days, I sit with a crowd of white people without being overly aware, let alone caring, that I am different. While such developments take place, certain problems remain; for example, the Africans who have never been abroad believe all white people are wealthy. These Africans have never seen a poor white person and don’t believe there is any such person. In addition, they consider every mzungu intelligent and reliable; they trust a mzungu more than they do fellow Africans. This is largely a legacy of colonialism, as Fanon pointed out. Africans might call a fellow black African mzungu. This can be a positive or a negative attribute, depending on the situation. An African who is always punctual, especially as a matter of choice, earns the name mzungu, not an entirely bad attribute, just a little odd. An African in authority who pushes subordinates to be always punctual will be called mzungu, an indication of both scorn and resentment. An African who puts on airs, behaving, dressing, or talking like as white person, is called mzungu. In this context, the term is almost always sarcastic or scornful. In many parts of Africa, African-Americans find themselves in an awkward situation, because they are black and speak only English. The Africans initially assume they are just fellow Africans who are putting on airs. Even after learning that this black person is from America, they might still call him or her mzungu, without the negative connotation. It is virtually impossible for the African-Americans to assume native African characteristics. If they learn the local language, for example, they speak it like white people. We all face this issue of mother tongue interference when we speak a foreign language. Of course, African-Americans don’t expect to be called white people. The Africans mean no offense; they just don’t understand American racial politics. Having grown up in Africa, they don’t share the racial consciousness and feelings of the Americans. It is easy, therefore, for Africans and African-Americans to misunderstand one another. Certain concepts that African- Americans take for granted are unknown to the Africans. For example, Africans don’t see or define themselves as people of colour, a phrase that Americans of all races use. Some Africans call African-Americans niggers, believing that it is a normal and acceptable term. Race is a major issue in America. Hardly a day goes by without some news, discussion, or problem connected with race. Race-consciousness pervades the lives of the Americans. Whenever a white and a non-white American meet or interact, the racial factor creeps in. The white person comes under surveillance and has to be wary of saying anything that can be considered racist. Due to the history of slavery, the situation is worse if it involves a white American and an African- American. Coming from such a background, white Americans might assume that Africans are like African-Americans. The truth is that Africans are not African-Americans, just as African- Americans are not Africans, at least from a cultural perspective. The experience of blacks and whites in Africa is different from what is in the USA. Africans see white people in a different way from the way African-Americans see them. The typical African might know only a few white people, usually missionaries, doctors, or teachers, who are kindly, benevolent and respected figures. Only in a few places, such as South Africa under apartheid, have Africans experienced the kind of racial dynamics that African-Americans and other non- white Americans know so well. Africans in Africa are not alienated and powerless in the way African-Americans are in America. They have a strong sense of self, and pride in their identity, even if they might appear humble. Africans come to America with this mindset. Not programmed to watch out for racism all the time, not conditioned to see, hear, or feel the presence of racism the way African-Americans do, Africans are generally comfortable interacting with white people, including those that African- Americans might consider difficult to deal with. Unlike African-Americans, Africans are not burdened with a legacy of slavery, with its numerous psychological, social, and other effects. These differences often cause misunderstandings between Africans and African-Americans. The African-Americans see Africans as naive and ignorant about racism, and the Africans wonder why the African-Americans have such negative attitudes towards white people. This problem has other dimensions. The Africans start with the belief that African-Americans belong to two different cultures. Americans of all races share certain values and perspectives, including particular sensitivities to race issues. Africans don’t know, for example, that in American culture, blue eyes and blonde hair signify beauty. To Africans, the very idea of blue eyes is somewhat frightening. Returning from Africa, white American students note that the experience of being a minority there changed their perspective on life. A few complain that some Africans stared at them. I tell them that, here in the USA, some Americans stare at me too. Such experiences make us uncomfortable, but they are useful. By being with them, we give the other people the opportunity to meet someone different from them. We ourselves taste what strangers in our midst might be experiencing. We can, thereby, develop empathy with them. Without such opportunities, we might remain trapped in ignorance and prejudice. After several years of giving orientation to American students going to Africa, I decided to change the way I talked about experiencing a foreign culture. Bearing in mind that there are foreign students in American colleges. I began asking the American students whether they interacted with the foreign students. Now, I always urge them to do so. To experience or learn about a foreign culture, we do not need to wait until we travel to foreign countries. Being in a foreign culture, we sometimes wish that culture would adjust itself to accommodate us. In America, non-white students in predominantly white colleges often express such sentiments. They complain about the lack of a welcoming environment. I have mixed feelings about this. I value the challenge of living in a foreign culture as an opportunity to learn about that culture and about myself. For a non-white person, a predominantly white college is such a foreign culture. As long as the institution treats every person with fairness and justice, I don’t think it should change its character and traditions simply because of the presence of a minority group. I cannot imagine, for example, an African university changing itself on account of the presence of a few Americans. I am not sure, either, that a predominantly black university in America would think about changing its character because of the presence of a few white students. We go to college to be challenged, to broaden and enrich our experiences and perspectives. Joseph L. Mbele , a Tanzanian, is a professor of English at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, USA.
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