Differences Between Tanzanians and Westerners (Part Four of Four)

This posting is a continuation of Parts One (where there are some introductory remarks), Two and Three. As before, the Swahili original appears first, followed by the English translation.

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Matumizi ya fedha. Mzungu huweka wazi matumizi yake ya mwezi na siku kwa mke au mumewe. Mwafrika mume ndio mwenye kitu au ndio mwenye maamuzi ya matumizi yote, na hapaswi kusema wazi mshahara wake kwa mke wake au matumizi yake, na hivyo upelekea wanaume kuwa na nguvu ya kunyanyasa mke wake au hata watoto wake, na hivyo kupelekea kuwa na ubaguzi wa jinsia mpaka leo, mtoto wa kiume huwa na nafsi ya kufanya mengi na kusomeshwa na kuonekana, mtoto wa kiume ni bora sana kuliko mtoto wa kike.

Majukumu juu ya maisha.
Mzungu hugawana na mke au familia majukumu lakini utekelezaji ni kwa wote. Mwafrika sio sawa. Mama wa kiafrika ni kama mtumishi ndani ya familia, atafua, atapika, atachota maji, atatafuta kuni, atatafuta mboga, na baba wa kiafrika yeye ni boss wa nyumba.

Yeye huwa hafui, hapiki, hachoti maji, kibaya zaidi kwa mume wa kiafrika ni kudai haki na atumikiwe. Hii ni hata ndani ya nyumba, mke hana uhuru wa kufanya maamuzi juu ya kuzaa na kupelekea kuwa na watoto wengi. Na kushindwa kuwalea, na wengine huona kuzaa ni fahari kubwa kwao.

Viburudisho. Mzungu upata muda wa kuburudika kama michezo, vinywaji vikali na baridi.

Kwa mwafrika hupata muda huu wa kuburudika katika mambo potovu, kama ngoma ambazo huchochea ngono na vinywaji vya pombe kupita kiwango, na kuwa sio kuburudika ni kufanya vitu tofauti.

Afya ya mwili.
Mzungu uweka mwili wake safi kwa wakati wowote. Mwafrika sehemu kubwa hana muda wa kuweka mwili wake safi na hata kwenye ugonjwa -- uenda kwa waganga wakienyeji, na kuacha kwenda zahanati, and kuamini mizimu na ngoma za mashetani.

Mwafrika uchawi kwake ni kitu muhimu, hirizi ni kinga yake awe mgonjwa au mzima, huamini hirizi kuliko yeyote ya kimaisha.

Kwa ujumla mambo mengi tunatofautiana hata tamaduni, mzungu utamaduni wake ni kusoma vitabu. Mwafrika yeye ni ngoma na kuiga tamaduni ya magharibi muziki na mavazi.

Vyakula. Mzungu hupenda vyakula laini, lakini mwafrika anapenda vyakula kama ugali kwa wanaume wengi hasa Tanzania.

Mwafrika anapenda kula nyama sana. Lakini mzungu chakula chake kwa mpango maalumu.

Hivyo kuna tofauti nyingi nyingi sana.

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Spending of money. The Westerner lays out clearly his monthly and daily expenses for wife or husband. The African husband owns everything and makes the decisions about all expenses, and it is not necessary that he says clearly his salary or his expenses to his wife. In this way you express that a man has the power to harass his wife or even his children, and in this way express sexual bias up to today, that a male child has the personhood to do much and to be educated and to be visible, a male child is much better than a female child.

Responsibilities of life.
The Westerner distributes responsibilities with wife or family but the carrying out is for everyone. The African is not an equal. The African mother is like a servant in the family, she will wash clothes, cook, fetch water, look for firewood, look for vegetables, and the African father is the boss of the house.

He doesn't wash clothes, doesn't cook, doesn't fetch water. It's so bad that the African man demands rights and that he is served. This is so even in the home. The woman does not have the freedom to make decisions about becoming pregnant and to express having so many children. So she fails in raising them, and others see that to give birth is their [women's] greatest pride.

Recreation. The Westerner takes time for relaxing such as sports, beverages strong and cold.

The African takes this time of recreation in misguided things, such as traditional dancing which stimulates sex and alcoholic beverages beyond measure. This is not recreation, it is doing something different.

Bodily health.
The Westerner keep his body healthy at all times. The African much of the time does not keep his body healthy even to the point of illness -- he goes to the resident traditional healer, and stops going to the dispensary, and believes in spirits and the dancing of demons.

For the African his magic is an important thing. Amulets are his protection to be sick or healthy, and he believes in amulets more than anything of life [i.e. of God].

Overall we differ in many things, including culture. For the Westerner his culture is to read books. For the African it is traditional dance and imitating the music and the clothes of Western culture.

Foods. The Westerner likes soft food [e.g. white rice, bread], but the African likes food such as ugali, this is so for many men especially in Tanzania.

The African very much likes to eat meat. But for the Westerner his food is according to a special plan.

In this way there are very many many differences.

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This part completes the translation of Moris' writing. I am a bit stunned by how negative he is with regard to his compatriots. Yet what he writes comes across as truthful and an accurate description of what he sees and how he feels.

If I had the time I would ask him to write about what is positive about Tanzania and its people and about their strengths. But that's not going to happen given our imminent departure.

I am so grateful that Diane and I have had this intelligent, aware, caring and articulate Tanzanian as a helper, friend, cultural informant and fellow parishioner. His presence in our lives has made a huge difference in the quality of our experience here. -Earl