Sunday, July 02, 2006
Oz in Africa
I had a great talk with my Egypt friend Maria the other day when she came to visit the refugee camp for a night. It was one of those 'why are we here?' kinda talks. This is what we came to conclude:
Everyone wants to be a superhero. On some secret level everyone dreams of saving the world, or maybe not that extreme, but at least everyone wants to be a somebody, no one wants to be a nobody. Back in the states I'm just you average broke college kid who drinks a little too much some weekends (err, ok maybe on some weekdays too...), but I'm basically a nobody. This isn't a reflection of a low self-esteem or anything, but merely a statement of fact; I'm low on the totem pole over there.
But here in Africa I'm a somebody. At the IT center full grown men look up to me and come to me with their problems. Almost anywhere I go people treat me with respect and deference, people come to me with their problems filled with unwavering confidence in my abilities to solve anything. I get the full red carpet treatment.
Yet it feels cheap on some (many) levels. I didn't earn this respect and treatment; it’s ascribed to me based on my skin color and my nationality, but not on my achievements. These refugees, many of who have been through far more than I will probably ever have to go through in my life, completely defer to me sometimes. It’s embarrassing when, even though I’ve never taken an IT course in my life, here at the IT center, the teacher I work with who has taken many IT courses and is an amazing teacher, is convinced that whatever I say is absolute law. I feel like I've been granted Papal Infallibility with out my asking.
The other day I went out with the water and sanitation crew to do
some insecticide spraying, but I didn’t actually do anything. It’s a two man job and there were four of us, two locals and two international volunteers. The internationals were essentially just tagging along watching the others do the work. It was frustrating because we knew that we could be put to work somewhere else much more effectively, somewhere where we could actually work. When I got back I asked the other international volunteers what the point of us tagging along is and they said it’s basically because we are white. By bringing along two white boys the spraying crew was improving their credibility, people are more likely to trust us and let us into there house to spray. I’m essentially the Liberian Vanna White: just stand there and look pretty!
I feel like the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz, except I flew in on a plane instead of a balloon. To quote The Wizard from the song “Wonderful” in Wicked the Musical soundtrack:
“Won-der-ful
They called me Won-der-ful
So I said Wonderful
If you insist”
Coming here we’re told by everyone how wonderful we are to be doing what we’re doing and what a sacrifice we’ve made and such, so after a while you begin to think: wonderful? If you insist!
I just keep waiting for someone to look behind the curtain…
Everyone wants to be a superhero. On some secret level everyone dreams of saving the world, or maybe not that extreme, but at least everyone wants to be a somebody, no one wants to be a nobody. Back in the states I'm just you average broke college kid who drinks a little too much some weekends (err, ok maybe on some weekdays too...), but I'm basically a nobody. This isn't a reflection of a low self-esteem or anything, but merely a statement of fact; I'm low on the totem pole over there.
But here in Africa I'm a somebody. At the IT center full grown men look up to me and come to me with their problems. Almost anywhere I go people treat me with respect and deference, people come to me with their problems filled with unwavering confidence in my abilities to solve anything. I get the full red carpet treatment.
Yet it feels cheap on some (many) levels. I didn't earn this respect and treatment; it’s ascribed to me based on my skin color and my nationality, but not on my achievements. These refugees, many of who have been through far more than I will probably ever have to go through in my life, completely defer to me sometimes. It’s embarrassing when, even though I’ve never taken an IT course in my life, here at the IT center, the teacher I work with who has taken many IT courses and is an amazing teacher, is convinced that whatever I say is absolute law. I feel like I've been granted Papal Infallibility with out my asking.
The other day I went out with the water and sanitation crew to do
some insecticide spraying, but I didn’t actually do anything. It’s a two man job and there were four of us, two locals and two international volunteers. The internationals were essentially just tagging along watching the others do the work. It was frustrating because we knew that we could be put to work somewhere else much more effectively, somewhere where we could actually work. When I got back I asked the other international volunteers what the point of us tagging along is and they said it’s basically because we are white. By bringing along two white boys the spraying crew was improving their credibility, people are more likely to trust us and let us into there house to spray. I’m essentially the Liberian Vanna White: just stand there and look pretty!I feel like the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz, except I flew in on a plane instead of a balloon. To quote The Wizard from the song “Wonderful” in Wicked the Musical soundtrack:
“Won-der-ful
They called me Won-der-ful
So I said Wonderful
If you insist”
Coming here we’re told by everyone how wonderful we are to be doing what we’re doing and what a sacrifice we’ve made and such, so after a while you begin to think: wonderful? If you insist!
I just keep waiting for someone to look behind the curtain…
Comments:
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Phelps,
At least you’re not content with staying in the states and drinking too much and being a nobody. I think there are so many people that want to be a superhero and save the world, but there not willing to leave their comfortable and stable lives to do anything about it. So maybe that’s why everyone is telling you you're so wonderful. Because you took the step to do something with your life...to be the change you wish to see in the world.
And yes, the Ghanaians (or any other nation really) do treat "us Americans" as God like people (many times). And much of it is for bull shit reasons....because we have a US passports, or we're white or have money. But maybe, just maybe, they look at us as white, rich Americans and give us the utmost reverence and esteem for what we have chosen to do with that power. Maybe they treat you the way they do because you have given your time, money, education, skills and power to help them. To help people who have no home, no power, and no voice in the world....people who, without your help (and other volunteers and NGO agency’s) would be completely voiceless and almost non-existent. . And maybe that’s just my fairy tale dream that I’d like to hold onto for a bit longer. But I still think your wonderful and I have seen behind your curtin.
Love you and miss you,
-Me, Kt
At least you’re not content with staying in the states and drinking too much and being a nobody. I think there are so many people that want to be a superhero and save the world, but there not willing to leave their comfortable and stable lives to do anything about it. So maybe that’s why everyone is telling you you're so wonderful. Because you took the step to do something with your life...to be the change you wish to see in the world.
And yes, the Ghanaians (or any other nation really) do treat "us Americans" as God like people (many times). And much of it is for bull shit reasons....because we have a US passports, or we're white or have money. But maybe, just maybe, they look at us as white, rich Americans and give us the utmost reverence and esteem for what we have chosen to do with that power. Maybe they treat you the way they do because you have given your time, money, education, skills and power to help them. To help people who have no home, no power, and no voice in the world....people who, without your help (and other volunteers and NGO agency’s) would be completely voiceless and almost non-existent. . And maybe that’s just my fairy tale dream that I’d like to hold onto for a bit longer. But I still think your wonderful and I have seen behind your curtin.
Love you and miss you,
-Me, Kt
# posted by 
: Tue Jul 04, 10:52:00 AM GMT
: Tue Jul 04, 10:52:00 AM GMT
I disagree. Sorry, but what you are doing here is imposing your values on their understanding of our actions. I understand why you do that. I do that, my friends do that. But they do not in fact think of us as superheros because we are somehow doing something moral by 'comin over there' to shithole x y or z. No see they don't watch the news. They don't get to see the average American and realize that most people don't in fact give a shit about their 'misery'. So when the white man or woman comes along that's the White on a mission, and that is the White they know. We are assumed to be helping out. I'll tell you what the problem is - the fact that we become these gurus. It's a vicious cycle - we're lovin' being treated as them, so we stick around. We could make anything up. You have a question about a tropical disease? Iiiiiiiii'll answer it, no prob. So suddenly, with these 'selfless' American or other college kids comin' over to the land of the miserable, cravin' the 'smart fix', we have actually managed to perpetuate a dangerous inferiority complex which is causing developing nations to depend on outside development. They just could never believe they could do it themselves. Do you want to be the one to tell them you're not needed?
Mawiiah,
I totally disagree with you. First of all, how is Phelps (the guy making all the blog's) imposing his value's by cleaning out their sewer system, or picking up their trash, or spraying their house for bugs? The message there is very clear....and the message is communicated without words. I am here to serve the less fortunate....i am here to help you and to try and improve your world.
Second, they may be poor....but they are not ignorant. They DO know that the average American doesn’t give a shit about their misery...and they know it all too well. They have been neglected for years. The white person they know is not a refugee camp volunteer....if anyone it’s a tourist who spends a $100 a night for a nice hotel and doesn’t even think about traveling to the most destitute parts of Ghana or a refugee camp. Or the tourist who looks the other way when a child is begging for food or money. If anything, that is the white person they know.
And lastly, for years and years we took the county’s fittest, smartest, and best working people across the ocean to be our slaves. We enslaved thousands upon thousands of Ghanaians and other Africans....so don’t you think its out obligation to help them? Because after all, they are infested with poverty, disease, and inequality much of because of our colonization. –fishface (get it phelps? Hehe. Love you)
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I totally disagree with you. First of all, how is Phelps (the guy making all the blog's) imposing his value's by cleaning out their sewer system, or picking up their trash, or spraying their house for bugs? The message there is very clear....and the message is communicated without words. I am here to serve the less fortunate....i am here to help you and to try and improve your world.
Second, they may be poor....but they are not ignorant. They DO know that the average American doesn’t give a shit about their misery...and they know it all too well. They have been neglected for years. The white person they know is not a refugee camp volunteer....if anyone it’s a tourist who spends a $100 a night for a nice hotel and doesn’t even think about traveling to the most destitute parts of Ghana or a refugee camp. Or the tourist who looks the other way when a child is begging for food or money. If anything, that is the white person they know.
And lastly, for years and years we took the county’s fittest, smartest, and best working people across the ocean to be our slaves. We enslaved thousands upon thousands of Ghanaians and other Africans....so don’t you think its out obligation to help them? Because after all, they are infested with poverty, disease, and inequality much of because of our colonization. –fishface (get it phelps? Hehe. Love you)
# posted by : Sun Jul 09, 04:28:00 PM GMT
: Sun Jul 09, 04:28:00 PM GMT << Home
