Today a group of us who live at the Harrisburg Institute/SALT House got together for a class we are all in. It was very productive.
Halfway through our group meeting, there were a few negative vibes, so when I had a turn to speak, I did what I typically do when I am uncomfortable: I tried to reroute the conversation with small-talk.
Based on my positive experiences of learning first-hand the cultural backgrounds of international Messiah students, I decided I would ask one of the girls in the group, a Kenyan, if she was a Luo (because that is the only tribe in Kenya that I could name offhand). The response I got was rather aggressive and really caught me off-guard, as if she were upset that I wanted to know about her background and traditions.
What I failed to understand, as she continued to explain, was the recent violent history of tribal clash. It's not that I didn't know tribalism didn't exist in Kenya, but I sure didn't know that asking about tribal background was an offensive gesture.
After a brief period where we were all kind of frustrated with the vibe of the room (opposite effect of what I was intending), I told my friend that I found her response different than my previous experiences, that inquiring in such a manner wouldn't typically be a personally offensive motion. In my mind, the clubs at Uganda Christian University and the traditional dance/culture festival which was held on campus were indicators that tribe was to be celebrated (not flaunted, but celebrated). I guess I was insensitively grouping all East Africans into one group.
Of course all of these events and insights took place in a group meeting for an Intercultural Communication class.
At the Peace Conference last weekend, I had made a suggestion that we move away from racial diversity and embrace celebration of common humanity. Based on my experience tonight, I guess we (humans) have to celebrate both our diverse gifts as well as our mutual shortcomings. I'm glad to hear, in some senses, that Kenyans are trying to move away from acknowledging their ethnicity. On the other hand, we see the tragic impact of erasing history and truth in the African-American narrative today.
I think you get the point, so I'm going to stop talking before I turn more Buddhist than I currently am and start talking about the Middle Way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment