The Mzungu Effect

Walking down the unpaved streets, the word ‘mzungu’ (white person/foreigner) is cried out by the children. The sudden appearance of a white person incites almost mass hysteria, and soon there is a gathering of little faces peering up at you. Some ask for money, food and toys, while others just want to catch a glimpse or cup a feel of this unknown white canvas.

Older community members (mostly) refrain from shouting out, but never from staring…or is it glaring? We ask ourselves what perceptions these people have of us (besides the assumption that we come from a world of wealth). Having studied colonialism in endless detail as a racist, unjust system of oppression and exploitation, surely some must despise rather than welcome any ‘mzungu’ presence?

Some mzungu are charged extra for transport while others are placed in the front of a taxi. Some are received as guests while others are refused. What became apparent during one of the in-school sessions on ‘rights and responsibilities’ was the hypocrisy that students felt coming from their white teachers. A pupil requested that white people stop lecturing them about smoking and other behaviours seen as immoral, as they were partaking in them themselves. Others commented on the lack of religion in our lives, claiming ‘we’ had imposed these faiths on them but had since discarded the concept of a belief system completely. They had a point.

Across the walls of the primary schools were written the words ‘NO LUSOGA’, effectively banning the mother tongue, and instead upholding English as the only language that can give you a hope of success in life. The unexpressed resentment must be strong. During an unfortunate incident where children were beaten after having misbehaved during a class with our Ugandan counterparts, the words‘Imagine if this had happened in front of our white guests’ were uttered, insinuating that the incident would have been far graver if we had been present to witness it. It is not so long since Welsh children in the United Kingdom had their mouths ‘washed out with soap and water’ for speaking Welsh, yet Wales today boasts its own Welsh-language TV channel and recognition of Welsh as a lingua franca of the country. How long before Lusoga enjoys such status?

Children pose questions such as ‘do white women menstruate?’ and ‘can a white woman get pregnant by a Ugandan man?’ In hindsight I do not know if the word ‘mzungu’ comes with positive or negative connotations, or is simply a recognition of some impenetrable difference, but it draws a clear sociocultural line between ‘them’ and ‘us’. The legacy of colonialism and the impact of globalization are still present in this and many other forms, and it is observable in most facets of society: religious affiliation and attitude, education, politics, cultural preference … A nation becomes a nation partly through the emergence of national writers who embody the richness of its speech. Uganda needs such writers.

Yet for all this good will on both sides, the gap between us and them remains. However much we wish to bridge it, history and the pressures of globalization are formidable obstacles.

I can only hope that we brought with us something far more important this time – knowledge and understanding – and that we came to spread this messagethrough the goodness of our hearts, instead of perpetuating the idea of the White Man’s Burden. Development is not just a historical responsibility. It is a moral act based on mutual recognition of our shared humanity.