Differences Between Tanzanians and Westerners (Part Three of Four)

This posting is a continuation of Part One and Part Two, where there are some introductory remarks.

I found this part more difficult to translate and had to work quite a bit with Moris to understand what he meant and to get the translation correct. The English translation follows the Swahili. -Earl

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Hata ofisini mwa mwafrika ni shida tupu, faili hazikai kwa mpango wala utaratibu. Mfano. Kama kuna faili za watu katika ofisi ya mzungu huwekwa kwa alfabeti A - Z. Hii inarahisiha wakati wa hitajiko la faili ya Zuena na Idaya ni muda mfupi kutafuta.

Lakini ofisi ya mwafrika kanyaga twende shaghalabaghala na hana hata makabati ya kurahisisha shughuli za ofisi, vitu vyake ni kwenye droo moja na kufuli na fuguo mkononi. Utakapo kitu huchukua muda mrefu kutafuta, na ndio maana rushwa ni wimbo wa taifa kwa mesenja wa ofisi hadi boss wa ofisi.

Ofisi ya mzungu huwa na utaratibu sana, hata katika kushughulikia jambo au maswala ya watu. Kwa mwafrika hakuna utaratibu, mfano hospitalini. Kama kuna foleni na wengine wamekaa kuingia kwa daktari, na mtu anajua daktari gani yupo ndani ya ofisi anatoa huduma ya wagonjwa, yeye huenda moja kwa moja bila utaratibu wowote. Na hata kama atamkuta daktari na huduma atapewa kwanza na kuwaacha watu wengine, kitu ambacho kwa mzungu - hakipo. Anatoa huduma kwa watu wote kama walivyojipanga na hii huleta ufanisi wa kazi.

Ndani ya nyumba. Kwa mzungu kama sebuleni ni mahali pa kupumzika, ni sehemu hiyo kwa kazi hiyo, kwa mzungu kuna sehemu ya kusomea, kwa mwafrika sehemu yeyote ni sawa. Kwa mzungu kuna kabati la nguo, viatu huwekwa sehemu maalum, hata vyombo uwekwa semhemu tofauti tofauti kama sahani, bakuli vikombe, n.k. Kwa mwafrika vitu havikai kwa mpango, yeye anachojua kabati ni kabati na kamba ya nguo kwenye chumba chake poa.

Ndani ya nyumba ya mzungu, kitanda muda wote huwa safi yaani hutandikwa, kwa mwafrika yeye akiamka poa - hata chandarua kutoa kwake ni tatizo.

Mzungu huwa na uangalizi mzuri wa nyumba yake kila siku, na hupelekea kuwa na mpango bora na safi wa nyumba yake.

Ukweli na mazungumzo. Mzungu huwa na kauli moja - na kutobadili maneno na maamuzi, kama hataki ni sitaki, au siwezi ni haiwezekani, au sitafanya.

Kwa mwafrika kwake siyo mkweli wa yote, machache ni kweli, mengine ni uongo. Kama kitu hawezi yeye usema nitajaribu, hana kauli ya kusema nimeshindwa - au sitaweza, sana sana husema nitaangalia, au nitajaribu.

Kama umeongea naye neno akakuambia kesho, kwa mwafrika ni lazima umkumbushe tena na tena. Usipomkumbusha yeye usema nimesahau au nilipitiwa na hivyo ni mtu mwenye kauli mbili mbili kila wakati.

Kwa uaminifu. Mzungu ni mtu mwaminifu wa ahadi yake. Kama ni ndoa, mke mmoja ni mke mmoja au mume mmoja ni mume mmoja.

Kwa mwafrika hasa waislamu ni wake 4 na kwa watu wengine labda wana ndoa kidogo huwa na mke mmoja, lakini sehemu kubwa ni mke na nyumba ndogo. Akiwa na ndoa sawa sheria inamfunga, na sio wote wenye kushika sheria za ndoa.

Mzungu akiwa na mke ni sehemu ya uhai wake. Umpa siri au mpango wote wa maisha yao, nini tufanye na nini tupange.

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Even the office of the African is a hopeless problem. Files are placed in neither a plan nor a pattern. Example. If there are people's files in the office of the Westerner they are put alphabetically A - Z. This makes it easy so that when files for Zuena and Idaya [like Jane and John] are needed it takes a short time to find them.

But the office of the African is to step without caring into disorder. There are not even cabinets to simplify the matters of the office. Its things are in a single drawer under lock and key. When you want something it takes a long time to find. Indeed bribes are the national song for office messengers up to the boss of the office.

The office of the Westerner is very orderly, even in attending to people's issues or matters. For the African there is no order, for example in the hospital. If there is a queue and others have been waiting to enter for the doctor, and a person knows the doctor who is inside the office offering patient services, he goes in directly without following any order. If he finds the doctor, he gets service first and leaves behind the other people, a thing which for the Westerner does not happen. He offers services for everyone according to how they have arranged themselves, and this brings efficiency to the work.

Inside the home. For the Westerner the sitting room is a place for resting, and there is such and such an area for such and such work. For the Westerner there is an area for reading, for the African anywhere is fine. For the Westerner there is a cabinet for clothes, shoes are placed in a special area, even dishes are put in a different place such as plates, bowls, cups, etc. For the African things do not reside in a pattern, what he knows is that a cabinet is a cabinet, and a cord in his room [for hanging clothes] is fine.

In the home of the Westerner the bed is clean at all times, that is, it is made. For the African if he wakes up it's fine - even removing the mosquito net for him is a problem.

The Westerner pays good attention to his home every day, and ensures that there is excellent order and cleanliness in his home.

Truthfulness in conversation. The Westerner has a single speech - and does not change his words and decisions. If he doesn't like something then "I don't like it", or if he cannot do something then "it's not possible", or "I will not do it".

The African is not truthful in all things, a few things are true, the rest is false. If he cannot do a thing, he says "I will try", he does not have the speech to say "I have failed" - or "I will not be able", very very often he says "I will see", or "I will try".

If you have spoken of some matter and he told you "tomorrow", for the African it is necessary to remind him again and again. If you do not remind him he says "I forgot" or "I was distracted", and in this manner he is one who says two different things all the time.

On reliability. The Westerner is reliable in his promises. For example, in marriage one wife is one wife, one husband is one husband.

For the African, especially Muslims, he has four wives. Others perhaps have a few marriages with one wife, but the larger part is with both a wife and a "little home" [with a different woman]. To have a valid marriage it is sealed, and it is not everyone who follows the laws of marriage.

The Westerner lives with his wife as part of his life. He provides her with all confidences and plans of his life, what we are to do and what we are to plan.

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About speaking truthfully, I am reminded of the story of a European farmer in Kenya who had an African supervisor for his work crew. When questioned about some problem or other, the supervisor would more often than not "make some excuse bearing no possible relation to the truth." This was explained as due to the desire on the part of the African not to say something unpleasant or unwelcome to the farmer.

I may have experienced something similar very recently. I had asked another teacher whether he would like to take a class period of mine since I really did not have another lesson to teach the students before their mid-term exams. He said yes. Later, I found out from one of the students that he never showed up. Was this because the teacher simply could not say no?

With regard to doing something "tomorrow", I find that it's almost as though Tanzanians have a binary sense of time. There is right now, and there is later. Stuff that is needed right now gets done. Indeed I see Tanzanians work hard if they are under pressure or if there is an immediate, tangible reward to be gained. As for the stuff that is for later, it disappears into a mental black hole. Very often if I ask a student to come by my office later in the week or even the very next day, they almost never show up.

(continued at Part Four)