There is an extremely informative TED Talk done by novelist Chimamanda Adichie about the danger of a single story. I really recommend watching that video before reading more. (It's about 19 minutes long but very good. The link is here.)
For me, the danger
of the single story is so closely linked to stereotypes. While some
stereotypes can be okay, I tend to see stereotypes having a very
negative connotation. In my childhood, I was very lucky in the sense
that I never felt stereotyped. I grew up in a mainly white community,
with many people who shared similar beliefs.
Being in
Kakamega is a completely different story. Here, I am a muzungu (a
white person) and compared to the population size, I am one of the
very few in Kakamega. I have been getting a lot of attention from
people on the street, especially children, who will often stare and
shout “Muzungu!” repeatedly and various greetings in Swahili and
English.
(Seeing the children get so excited by the color of my skin
is probably the cutest thing in the entire world though. Some are so
excited for interaction with me, whether it is a simple “hello”
or “how are you?” because it would be one of the first, along
with one of the only interactions that they have had with a white
person.)
People will ask how I am, say hello, or try to get me to buy
something. I've noticed many people openly staring at me and usually
I shake four or five hands of random strangers just walking through
the market from the FSD office to our hotel. I stand out here, which
is a new experience for me all together.
And of course,
with my white skin, reddish hair, and blue eyes, a stereotype
follows. I am, in every sense, a walking dollar sign for vendors and
taxi drivers. And yes, in comparison to many people here, I am very
wealthy but that is not the only aspect to me as a person.
While growing
up, I never felt stereotyped but here, I feel it with every fiber of
my being. It is an odd experience and not necessarily a bad one.
Even in Nairobi,
I had a very similar experience. There are two in particular that
stick out most in my mind. On the first day of Kathya and I arriving
to the Holy Cross formation house, a Brother took us over to the mall
that was close by. Because of recent threats and attacks in Nairobi,
there was security everywhere, including in the entrances of the
mall. The Brother who took us is Ugandan and was searched when we
arrived but Kathya and I were both waved in.
A couple days
later, everyone at the formation house headed to the airport to drop
Father Tom off and say goodbye. Like with the mall, there was
security at the entrance to the airport and many people were asked to
pull their cars over to be quickly searched. At this time, Kathya was
in the front seat and while she is Colombian, we were still waved
through security.
Growing up with
American media, I admit that I had many stereotypes about many
different types of people. While I've grown out of most, I still do
carry some to this day. (I'll admit it. A small part of me thinks
British people are insanely smart because of their accent. And I
still have the stereotype that all Canadians are polite and that
Canadian drivers are incapable of using their turn signal while
driving.)
Having stereotypes
isn't something that I think is completely wrong and needs to be
changed. Acting on those stereotypes and judging people for a
stereotype, however, is the problem.
I could go on and
on about this topic but for now, I'll spare you the reading.
Until later,
Andrea
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