Solidarity in Swahili Land

Welcome back, everyone! It seems that much time has passed here. I’ve been keeping busy with work, school and exploration.

Lately, despite feeling constantly challenged (which is a good thing), I’ve been keeping in mind how lucky I am to be here. These thoughts will come at random, though they mostly occur when I am on a high, like after a morning run or at a workshop when I am greeted by welcoming community members. While I never will feel 100% comfortable here, I also think that being too comfortable is dangerous. It's easy to fall into a mode of not challenging ourselves or pursuing new limits, and we often are quick to criticize what we do have. 

Experiencing a new culture takes me outside my own. It also allows me to become aware again of the many great aspects about my life back home; a life where sometimes, I become too comfortable. Travel makes me realize who I am, and grow in ways that have never seemed possible.

While I have come to find a new appreciation for all the amenities back home, I am also realizing more and more my desire to be in this culture in a more long term setting. This brings up another topic that’s been on my mind recently: solidarity.

I took a class last semester from a favorite Iliff professor, Julie Todd, that was called Solidarity and Working Across Difference. This class really impacted my frame of thinking. Many of the major class take-away’s have been at the forefront of my mind here. For example, I feel solidarity when I go to a workshop with my internship site in a remote village and am welcomed by the participants. At first, I feel everyone’s eyes staring at the one white westerner in the room. It’s uncomfortable, but also a very humbling experience that I truly appreciate. This is because I know that back in America, I am the majority member who is never stared at because of my color. I usually sit there at the beginning of the workshop trying to comprehend the topics being brought up (usually one of my co-workers translates for me half way through). After a while during the question and answer period, I am asked to speak by co-workers. I attempt to speak Swahili, and then resort to English with translation. Afterwards, I always notice how the mood changes and people are smiling and introducing themselves to me by the end. Usually, it's not as if I've brought any new or revolutionary ideas up. Rather, it is the act of participation and interest in the community issue that people open up. That is solidarity. It is the process of being humbled by difference, and both giving and receiving a warm, inclusive welcome despite dissimilar backgrounds, races, ethnicities, ages, genders, sexual orientations, etc.

What makes me have the urge to come back here is to continue the experience and the successfulness of solidarity.

Another story I will share that involves solidarity occurred unexpectedly for me this past weekend while studying Swahili at a rooftop restaurant near the port. The customers were mostly all western, with a few Swahili-speakers here and there. My waitress, as well as all the others, was not wearing a headscarf. I decided to take mine off as well once I noticed this. After spending about 4 hours there, my waitress came over to request that I pay so she could leave work. I handed her money and then stood up to go use the bathroom. When I walked in, I saw a Zanzibari woman putting her headscarf on. We exchanged conversation in Swahili about Ramadan and afterwards I headed back to sit down. When I walked in to the restaurant, I saw my server, who was now wearing a headscarf. As I thanked her again, I thought in my head Oh my god. She's Muslim.

I felt appalled. It then occurred to me that the other woman fixing her headscarf in the bathroom must have also been a server. You might be wondering why I had this response. I was shocked and frustrated because these women had clearly been warned or asked to abandon their religious traditions for the work environment. And I am pretty sure that they were asked to remove their head scarves so that more money can be made and so that they won't make the western guests feel uncomfortable for eating, as I overheard a conversation from the man to my right discussing how the restaurant is desperate to make more money to maintain the building.

I felt glad that I had only spoken Swahili with my server as well as other help. I feel it is important to do this so as to meet the people of the country on their level and to further relationships in solidarity. So far, the western culture I’ve been exposed to here in Tanzania often expects to be met at their level by the locals. This often creates an unrealistic expectation placed on locals and certain categorizations placed on westerners. Still, I was frustrated that the whoever told these women to abandon their religious beliefs wanted to please western culture this much and in the mean time violate local religious rights.

However, I do know from my experiences here that solidarity, working across difference and being able to find balance among different levels of custom is possible. However, it does require having the humility to experience being humbled and uncomfortable. I’m not saying I am perfect at this in any way; it’s a constant process. Though there are things we can do to improve relationships with others and respect culture, like trying to speak in Swahili or listening to others before we give our input. I also know that the process of solidarity is one that is attainable and one that I hope to continue being a part of here.

Now, enough of the heavy language. Below are some pictures from the past few weekends:

Last weekend, I went with the Indiana students to an area in the South of the island called Bwe Juu. We visited a women's clothing co-op and a Seaweed farm in the ocean. It was incredible and really amazing to see the work that women do on the daily. Additionally, the co-op was created by two local women who saw a need for employment and textile opportunities in the community. 

Below are a few pictures from my internship workshops I've been able to attend. The first is a youth workshop I participated in that focused on increasing Zanzibari youth participation in politics and human rights. The next four are at the most recent workshop in a village up North of the island, where community leaders from many different communities came to discuss Gender Based Violence against children and received training on positive parenting skills. The final picture shows all the ZLSC interns (including myself!)

The last few pictures are ones I have taken around Stone Town, including a beach area called Mbweni Ruins. Also included are a few pictures of my family members whom I eat with every night. They go above and beyond to make great meals every night! Oh, and the last picture is of my beautiful house girl/sister Nadiya. I can't get over her beauty, inside and out! 

Until next time! Baadaye! (See you later)