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
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Looking Back on Learning Swahili
As we approach the end of our time in Tanzania I look back at almost three years of chipping away at learning Swahili.The happy outcome is that despite not having any particular talent for foreign languages and using English when I'm teaching, I've managed to make some good progress. Last week on my way to work a schoolboy said to me in English, "give me money". I responded in Swahili with a brief lecture about how wazungu don't like people who beg for money and told him not to do it. That may not sound like any big deal, but it was a first for me to say something about that.
At a more complex level, with use of dictionaries and having a basic grasp of the grammar, I've been able to translate letters of instructions from different government offices regarding how to register students for official exams. The vocabulary is pretty sophisticated, and the sentences are often quite long with lots of dependent clauses. Still, because they are in writing and I am able to spend time studying the text, the translating is doable.
The discouraging news is that my listening comprehension is terrible. I can orally express quite a few things for myself but more often than not the subsequent replies just fly right past me like twittering birds. Obviously, this really limits my ability to sustain a conversation. It's frustrating. But I'm stuck with the brain that I have and with my limitations.
On the whole I am very pleased with having attained a significant and useful level of ability even if it is far less than those with stronger aptitude (and maybe more conducive circumstances).
I'd like to mention two books that have been especially helpful which I highly recommend.
Swahili grammar is very consistent and regular, yet complicated enough that it requires explanation and discussion. Simplied Swahili by Peter Wilson, 1985, fills that need with more than sixty short lessons, each with a number of exercises that are well worth doing.
The other book is the Swahili-English English-Swahili Dictionary by Nicholas Awde, 2000. It's packed with concise definitions and enables you to translate in both directions. I very often do that in order to confirm what I think is the relevant translation for a word that has more than one distinct meaning. Both Swahili and English have a lot of those.
Language matters. To learn one, you have to keep practicing it and using it. Progress may feel slow but the persistence pays off. -Earl
Monday, April 9, 2012
Choir Gathering, Easter Monday
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
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
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.
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.
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)
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
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.
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.
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)
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