Being a Muzungu (white man) in Uganda
Door: Stijn
10 Augustus 2006 | Oeganda, Kampala
Kampala counts more NGO’s than Boda Boda’s. These so-called Non-Governmental-Organizations, mostly sponsored by, directly or indirectly, a government, cover all layers of society. There are NGO’s to train government officials on how to win a debate. There are NGO’s to brief MP’s on how to pass a bill. There are NGO’s for women striving to have the same rights as men. There are NGO’s for men striving to have the same body as women. There are NGO’s to educate children to not have children when they are still children. There are NGO’s to prevent families from having too many children who will have children when they are still children. And there are NGO’s to advice NGO’s on how to be an NGO.
There is however one group in society that is not so well served by NGO’s. Which surprises me, because in this market driven, commercialized world even the NGO spectrum has lost its nobility and merely operates to serve the market. The group I am referring to, well represented in Kampala is : the Muzungu’s! Why are there not any NGO’s for Muzungu’s who are fed up with being a Muzungu? For Muzungu’s who had enough of getting looked at, yelled at and getting approached on every corner of the street as if they are a walking cash-machine. The main aim of these NGO’s should be to help Muzungu’s to blend in with the rest of the people in Kampala. Items on their agenda should include: How to survive a Boda Boda ride. How to eat Matooke with g’nuts. How to find the right taxi in the old taxi park. And other essentials such as, how to shake hands, how to dress, how to dance and how to say “No thanks, I don’t want to marry you” in Luganda.
But will this really help? Will it really make a difference if a Muzungu knows how not to behave like a Muzungu? Maybe Muzungu’s will always be different, regardless of how they behave. Not just because they are treated as different, but mainly because the general Muzungu treats the Ugandans as different. So will it really help to teach a Muzungu not to be a Muzungu? Will it really make him/her not stand out in the crowd. Will it really stop Ugandans from calling him/her Muzungu? Unless the people in the Muzungu part of this world start treating other parts of the world as equal partners in the global quest for survival, this seems far ahead. Until the world has realized that in the end we are all the same, regardless of our colour, race or food preference, I have found another solution for Muzungu’s who are fed up with being called Muzungu. This solution does not require an NGO or a global change. It simply requires the Muzungu, who had enough of the harassment on the streets of Kampala, to learn one word. Next time when someone approaches you on the street yelling: “Hey Muzungu, Muzungu…..” you just respond calmly, “Hey Mudugavu, Mudugavu…..”. This has proven to be quite effective!
There is however one group in society that is not so well served by NGO’s. Which surprises me, because in this market driven, commercialized world even the NGO spectrum has lost its nobility and merely operates to serve the market. The group I am referring to, well represented in Kampala is : the Muzungu’s! Why are there not any NGO’s for Muzungu’s who are fed up with being a Muzungu? For Muzungu’s who had enough of getting looked at, yelled at and getting approached on every corner of the street as if they are a walking cash-machine. The main aim of these NGO’s should be to help Muzungu’s to blend in with the rest of the people in Kampala. Items on their agenda should include: How to survive a Boda Boda ride. How to eat Matooke with g’nuts. How to find the right taxi in the old taxi park. And other essentials such as, how to shake hands, how to dress, how to dance and how to say “No thanks, I don’t want to marry you” in Luganda.
But will this really help? Will it really make a difference if a Muzungu knows how not to behave like a Muzungu? Maybe Muzungu’s will always be different, regardless of how they behave. Not just because they are treated as different, but mainly because the general Muzungu treats the Ugandans as different. So will it really help to teach a Muzungu not to be a Muzungu? Will it really make him/her not stand out in the crowd. Will it really stop Ugandans from calling him/her Muzungu? Unless the people in the Muzungu part of this world start treating other parts of the world as equal partners in the global quest for survival, this seems far ahead. Until the world has realized that in the end we are all the same, regardless of our colour, race or food preference, I have found another solution for Muzungu’s who are fed up with being called Muzungu. This solution does not require an NGO or a global change. It simply requires the Muzungu, who had enough of the harassment on the streets of Kampala, to learn one word. Next time when someone approaches you on the street yelling: “Hey Muzungu, Muzungu…..” you just respond calmly, “Hey Mudugavu, Mudugavu…..”. This has proven to be quite effective!
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
