I’d like to start this off by stating up front that some of
my statements are going to be broad generalizations because that is the easiest
way to say them. I do not believe that the entire country of Swaziland only
thinks one thing or one way, nor do I believe all Swazis are the same. That
being said, adding that at the end of every sentence would get tedious for me
to write and you to read, so take it as implied, please.
Swaziland is a very homogenous country. It is 97% Swazi,
which is pretty remarkable. It is a peaceful country surrounded by countries
with higher rates of violence, histories of revolution and civil war, and
completely different cultures. Swazis have a lot of pride in being Swazi and in
their well-preserved and peaceful culture, and sometimes that comes out in the
form of a prejudice against anyone who is not Swazi. The prejudices seem to
vary depending on the race of the person in question, so I’ll cover what I have
personally observed in my 4 months here.
Asians
All Asians are Chinamen. All of them. The word “Asian” is
not even a word here. One of our volunteers, who is of Vietnamese descent,
faced a harsh comment during training. A child walked up to her and said, and I
quote, “Are you a human being?” I’m serious. She was not even seen as a person
because of her race.
Another volunteer, who has been here a year and is of
Chinese descent, gets some comments in Siteki. People tell him that they have
seen his friends at the Smile Supermarket. The Smile Supermarket is run by
Asians, but they are not people he knows or has even met. They are not friends,
let alone acquaintances.
Non-Swazi black people
My family has asked me before why all black Americans are so
ghetto. They say that they are uncivilized and not smart. Much of the media
that makes it over here that they have been exposed to is slapstick black humor
(we watched Big Momma the other night). These movies, to someone with no
understanding of American culture, are being misinterpreted. I tried to clear
things up, but my words are hard to believe over movies they have seen.
One of our black volunteers tries very hard to integrate
into the culture. His Siswati is wonderful, he rocks the traditional wear, and
he has even learned some of the dances. Swazis are fond of saying that he is
not American, he is Swazi; when he says otherwise, they say he is lying.
I had a man tell me today that he hates the Mozambicans. He
said he would never let one stay with him because he or she would rob him of
everything while he slept. He called them uncivilized and thieves. There is a
bit of history here. When Mozambique was having a civil war in the 1970s, the
Swazis of my village snuck over and stole their cattle. Today, the Mozambicans
of the nearest village steal our cattle, but they say that are merely stealing
them back. You know, 30 years later. Being on the border does lead to some
tension.
I have also heard negative comments made about the Zulus,
Kenyans, and Rwandans, but only positive things have been said about the people
of Botswana. I have no idea why.
White people
This one is loaded. Most of the white people that come into
Swaziland come as part of aid organizations that hand out money or resources.
One of the perceptions I have faced is people’s joy at seeing me, and then
anger when they are told that I have no money to give them, only trainings.
They say that they want money and food, not to be taught. They see me as
someone who can save them singlehandedly with donations, not someone who is
trying to live and work here. This is frustrating, because the joyful reaction
is built entirely on me being a walking ATM. It is dehumanizing.
A weird sort of possessiveness and control is something else
I have experienced. People I have never met before will stop me on my way
around to ask “Uyaphi?” (Where are you going?). I get asked by every stranger.
They need to know where I am going, how long I will be there, what I am doing
there, and then all the personal information about me (marital status, age,
number of children, how my parents feel about me being here). A walk that would
take 20 minutes in silence takes an hour. I also get told how to act, which,
I’m sure my parents would confirm, bothers me to no end. Actual examples
include, but are not limited to:
·
It is good that you are single – now you must
date a Swazi man.
·
You must come to my homestead and cook for me.
·
You must teach my child English.
·
Tomorrow, you must wear earrings.
·
You must marry my son and take us all to
America.
·
You must learn to cook the beetroot.
·
You must eat only Swazi food.
·
You must jog so that you will be beautiful again
and a Swazi will marry you.
·
Please give me 5 rand.
·
You must bath by filling the tub and splashing
yourself. You must not wash your hair in a separate tub. That is your way. Our
way is better.
Most of these were said by complete strangers. I have no
idea why they feel that they must control my life this way, but they do.
Children need to each ask “How are you?” when I pass by.
This means that in a group of 10 children, I get asked the question 10
consecutive times, each of which is followed by a group giggle. I have no idea
why they do this, but when I start ignoring them after the 5th or 6th
child, they chase me and shout louder. Kids are persistent here.
I frequently get told that I am wrong or that I am a liar
when I try to correct misperceptions about America. I showed someone a map, but
he still insisted that New York was the biggest state and my map was wrong. I
was told that I made up that people are homeless and poor, because every single
person in America is rich. I’m not sure if this is a racial prejudice, but it
drives me nuts. It’s certainly a cultural prejudice – Swazis know more about
America than the resident American.
The final type of prejudice I have experienced is that of
men proposing. I tell them they must fly to America and ask my father. That
usually gets a laugh. When it’s the fifth one of the day and he insists that he
really loves me, he’s not like those other guys, I tend to just say angifuni (I
don’t want) and storm away. Sometimes that makes them angry. They do not treat
women of other races this way.
Pakistanis
There are a lot of Pakistanis here. I do not know why, but
many of the ones I see weekly own shops. Swazis call these shops Indali shops,
meaning shops owned by Indians. I have heard it said that they will cheat you
out of money, that they are lazy, that they are criminals, and that they are
only here to own shops. Personally, I think the shops are great, and so do most
Swazis.
Other races
A Hispanic volunteer has been told that he is not from
America because he is not white. That happens to other minorities here more
often than you’d expect.
Further disclaimers
I do not intend to belittle or ignore racism and prejudice
experienced by minorities in America. I, however, do not currently live in
America. Being a racial minority is a different experience in every country and
every culture, and it’s different for people of every race.
Swazis do not see people of other races very often, and so
that lack of exposure leads to this ignorance. We do it too – have you ever
seen Mean Girls? Cady is from Africa, and she talks about jungle madness. Africa
is a pretty massive continent, and it’s not all covered by jungle. Americans
still talk about the genocide in Rwanda, and I’m pretty sure that most of
Rwanda has been fine for some time now. We have our misperceptions about people
and places we are not exposed to as well, so do not think ill of the Swazis
based on what I have said.
I hope I have illustrated an interesting cultural facet of
life here. Overall, I have felt welcomed and loved by umndeni wahmi (my new
family). This is a period of adjustment – for all of us.
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