Pulling the "I've been in Tanzania for 19 months so I know" Card
Okay, I just can't help myself; below is an article that's been making the rounds here with the volunteer population, thanks to Dan and the folks at home who sent it to him. I've left out some names and cut some parts of it for brevity (nothing important, I assure you.) But first, have at it:
L. T.'s on a Mission to Help Children in Africa
Forrestville Valley Superintendent...is taking the road less travelled to Africa. He wishes more people would follow his lead. T, who worked in the far reaches of Zambia and Tanzania during two summer vacations, said few things work and very few people care, particularly about children. He was introduced to the regions through miliary friends stationed there and immediately felt a call to feed and provide for them. "You've got to get over the notion that it's wrong. They can't connect the dots. They're on an elementary level, there," T said. His three to four week mission trips have allowed for plenty of first-hand reflection on the poor conditions in Lusaka, Zambia, and the hills north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Thatched roofs collapse, roads don't exist, and children lack enough food, medicine, proper clothing and school supplies to survive beyond 25 years of age. The population, he said, is on a different plane, concerned mostly with simply staying alive. Villagers who don't die from malaria, AIDS or tuberculosis are often eaten by wild animals. "Thirty is pushing it...There is no innate desire to care for children, as in the United States." His transformation from a small-town administrator to a trailblazing humanitarian is evident in the rigors of his daily routine: climbing on charter planes, hiring African workers, floating across rivers on rafts and changing multiple tires each trip...Sometimes they just walk. T, no slack with a weapon, has provided some 5,000 pounds of meat per trip. It sounds impressive, but can usually be obtained with a couple of hippos. The meat is carved and dried over a fire...T then transports the dried jerky-style strips back into the hands of children. T also brings paper, pencils, and soccer balls for the children from larger cities..."I figure if we can eventually talk to one another, maybe we can stop shooting each other," T said.
It goes on like this for awhile, peppered liberally with testimonials from a school board member he works with about how amazing he is. Most volunteers (Peace Corps/VSO's) crack up upon reading this. The laughter comes easy- if two summer vacation trips of three to four weeks is all you need to be a "trailblazing humanitarian" then we're all in the running to be the next Albert Schwitzer (a typical exchange after reading said article: "So blazed any new humanitarian trails today?" "Nah, I'll do it after lunch, just as soon as I finish working on that pesky world peace thing.") Hell, that whole paragraph is great- he gets to use charter planes, a car, he can hire people to work for him, and he's talking about rigor? The best part has to be the last line though- "sometimes they just walk." Because, I mean, people never just walk places in Africa, or anywhere else for that matter.
Okay, enough with the cheap shots, so the reporter's spent a bit too much time reading Reader's Digests' "Drama in Real Life" articles. No big deal, so it goes. And if that were all, I wouldn't be wasting your time here. But the real concern isn't some unfortunate use of borderline hyperbole, it's everything else; the condescention, the dangerous implications, and the loads of facts that are just plain wrong. For instance, yes, life expectancy is lower here than in the States, but there isn't a single teacher under the age of 25 in my school, and any almanac can show you that most Tanzanians not only manage to make it past 25, but even to 30 and (gasp!) 40! Also, while AIDS and Malaria are responsible for a huge proportion of deaths, very few people are ever eaten by wild animals; this is Africa, not Jurassic Park.
Similarly, while some of his comments aren't completely wrong, they're pretty damn close- his quotes about the conditions in the areas he visited ("thatched roofs collapse, roads don't exist...") are only applicable to the area he's visited; it's ludicrous to think that they apply to the country as a whole based on a short visit of 3-4 weeks. Think about it, if someone visits only Tribeca in NYC or Cabrini Greens in Chicago, do you think they're going to have a basis for making broad generalizations about the country as whole? Of course not! This goes back to one of my big issues with the article; one can't generalize about a country or a people based on the experience of a few weeks, months, or even years. I've become more and more careful about this the longer I've been here- avoid broad generalizations. Indulge in them, and inevitably you'll come perilously close to racism.
Oh, I know good ole' L.T. would protest hugely if I told him he was racist- I mean who's he shooting the hippos for, right? But how else do you explain comments like "very few people care, particularly about children"? Christ, all you have to do is visit one hospital, one time, see one mother lose a child to malaria, and then you realize, "oh, right, most people do probably care about their children here, the same way they do in every other frickin' country in the world."
And speaking of children, the last thing (seriously, THE LAST THING) the children of Tanzania need is another bumbling white person coming in to pass out goodies before jetting back to his regular life. Now I know what you're thinking ("aren't you being a little hard on the guy, Katie?") and yes, I am, but if there were only one thing I could change, it would be people who give things (anything- hippos, soccer balls, pens, etc.) to children. Adults...well, that's a harder issue, but with children it's more clear cut; if you give them things, then you degrade the child, and you risk turning them into lifelong beggers (you also reinforce traditional racial stereotypes- "I am white, and hence wealthy, and your success/happiness is dependent on my handouts" but we'll leave that topic for another time.) There is nothing more heartbreaking here than listening to a child say "mzungu, give me money" because you know that some well-meaning tourist a few years back gave them 500tsh, and also took away something in the process.
Right, so if you can't do what he did, what can one do to help people in Africa? My first bit of advice would be to direct your attention to the literally hundreds of Non-profits and NGO's working in Africa right now. Criticize the NGO scene all you want, but most of them are doing good things, and they usually have far more knowledge of the local dynamics/ development issues than any one person could gain. I'm out of time here, but please feel free to respond/fight back as you see fit. I don't hate T...I just wish he'd think a little more about the implications of his actions. Spending time in Africa has become very cool of late, and most of the long-term volunteers are already starting to experience the implications of that. Making a donation to WorldVision, VSO, etc. isn't as sexy as having nouveau "white hunter" articles written about you, but it does a hell of a lot more for the children.
Katie
L. T.'s on a Mission to Help Children in Africa
Forrestville Valley Superintendent...is taking the road less travelled to Africa. He wishes more people would follow his lead. T, who worked in the far reaches of Zambia and Tanzania during two summer vacations, said few things work and very few people care, particularly about children. He was introduced to the regions through miliary friends stationed there and immediately felt a call to feed and provide for them. "You've got to get over the notion that it's wrong. They can't connect the dots. They're on an elementary level, there," T said. His three to four week mission trips have allowed for plenty of first-hand reflection on the poor conditions in Lusaka, Zambia, and the hills north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Thatched roofs collapse, roads don't exist, and children lack enough food, medicine, proper clothing and school supplies to survive beyond 25 years of age. The population, he said, is on a different plane, concerned mostly with simply staying alive. Villagers who don't die from malaria, AIDS or tuberculosis are often eaten by wild animals. "Thirty is pushing it...There is no innate desire to care for children, as in the United States." His transformation from a small-town administrator to a trailblazing humanitarian is evident in the rigors of his daily routine: climbing on charter planes, hiring African workers, floating across rivers on rafts and changing multiple tires each trip...Sometimes they just walk. T, no slack with a weapon, has provided some 5,000 pounds of meat per trip. It sounds impressive, but can usually be obtained with a couple of hippos. The meat is carved and dried over a fire...T then transports the dried jerky-style strips back into the hands of children. T also brings paper, pencils, and soccer balls for the children from larger cities..."I figure if we can eventually talk to one another, maybe we can stop shooting each other," T said.
It goes on like this for awhile, peppered liberally with testimonials from a school board member he works with about how amazing he is. Most volunteers (Peace Corps/VSO's) crack up upon reading this. The laughter comes easy- if two summer vacation trips of three to four weeks is all you need to be a "trailblazing humanitarian" then we're all in the running to be the next Albert Schwitzer (a typical exchange after reading said article: "So blazed any new humanitarian trails today?" "Nah, I'll do it after lunch, just as soon as I finish working on that pesky world peace thing.") Hell, that whole paragraph is great- he gets to use charter planes, a car, he can hire people to work for him, and he's talking about rigor? The best part has to be the last line though- "sometimes they just walk." Because, I mean, people never just walk places in Africa, or anywhere else for that matter.
Okay, enough with the cheap shots, so the reporter's spent a bit too much time reading Reader's Digests' "Drama in Real Life" articles. No big deal, so it goes. And if that were all, I wouldn't be wasting your time here. But the real concern isn't some unfortunate use of borderline hyperbole, it's everything else; the condescention, the dangerous implications, and the loads of facts that are just plain wrong. For instance, yes, life expectancy is lower here than in the States, but there isn't a single teacher under the age of 25 in my school, and any almanac can show you that most Tanzanians not only manage to make it past 25, but even to 30 and (gasp!) 40! Also, while AIDS and Malaria are responsible for a huge proportion of deaths, very few people are ever eaten by wild animals; this is Africa, not Jurassic Park.
Similarly, while some of his comments aren't completely wrong, they're pretty damn close- his quotes about the conditions in the areas he visited ("thatched roofs collapse, roads don't exist...") are only applicable to the area he's visited; it's ludicrous to think that they apply to the country as a whole based on a short visit of 3-4 weeks. Think about it, if someone visits only Tribeca in NYC or Cabrini Greens in Chicago, do you think they're going to have a basis for making broad generalizations about the country as whole? Of course not! This goes back to one of my big issues with the article; one can't generalize about a country or a people based on the experience of a few weeks, months, or even years. I've become more and more careful about this the longer I've been here- avoid broad generalizations. Indulge in them, and inevitably you'll come perilously close to racism.
Oh, I know good ole' L.T. would protest hugely if I told him he was racist- I mean who's he shooting the hippos for, right? But how else do you explain comments like "very few people care, particularly about children"? Christ, all you have to do is visit one hospital, one time, see one mother lose a child to malaria, and then you realize, "oh, right, most people do probably care about their children here, the same way they do in every other frickin' country in the world."
And speaking of children, the last thing (seriously, THE LAST THING) the children of Tanzania need is another bumbling white person coming in to pass out goodies before jetting back to his regular life. Now I know what you're thinking ("aren't you being a little hard on the guy, Katie?") and yes, I am, but if there were only one thing I could change, it would be people who give things (anything- hippos, soccer balls, pens, etc.) to children. Adults...well, that's a harder issue, but with children it's more clear cut; if you give them things, then you degrade the child, and you risk turning them into lifelong beggers (you also reinforce traditional racial stereotypes- "I am white, and hence wealthy, and your success/happiness is dependent on my handouts" but we'll leave that topic for another time.) There is nothing more heartbreaking here than listening to a child say "mzungu, give me money" because you know that some well-meaning tourist a few years back gave them 500tsh, and also took away something in the process.
Right, so if you can't do what he did, what can one do to help people in Africa? My first bit of advice would be to direct your attention to the literally hundreds of Non-profits and NGO's working in Africa right now. Criticize the NGO scene all you want, but most of them are doing good things, and they usually have far more knowledge of the local dynamics/ development issues than any one person could gain. I'm out of time here, but please feel free to respond/fight back as you see fit. I don't hate T...I just wish he'd think a little more about the implications of his actions. Spending time in Africa has become very cool of late, and most of the long-term volunteers are already starting to experience the implications of that. Making a donation to WorldVision, VSO, etc. isn't as sexy as having nouveau "white hunter" articles written about you, but it does a hell of a lot more for the children.
Katie
posted by Katie at 4:10 PM
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