As a white man living and working in Uganda for over 10 years I completely agree and I have been in many similar situations. Here they speak English but in their local languages it seems they have no friendly way of asking things; children will come up to you and say "give me my money" or "give me my sweets". The racism is off the charts here; this tribe is stubborn, this tribe is untrustworthy, this tribe.. The many times I have heard "you whites..", I can't even count it on 100 hands. I have gotten used to the mzungu (white man) price and I have almost become used to people calling me mzungu, even though it keeps being annoying.
The biggest problem I have is with how difficult it is to trust someone. Almost everyone I have encountered have tried to take advantage of me, steal from etc etc. It makes life so tiresome and frustrating, especially since I am here starting projects to help children get better nutrition and I pay it all from my own savings and friendly donors. Sure, I am not poor when next to an average villager but I am definitely not rich. Not even close.
The last part that can be frustrating is simply counting on someone. "I will be there tomorrow in the morning" basically tells you he might come somewhere this year. When you call around noon where he is, he is always "on the way" but even then it can take another week. Ah.. Now that I am ranting, let me add this one; when you fail what you were supposed to do or you break something, it is local customs to just keep quiet until the person confronts you. Freaking annoying. I just explained it to a staff member this morning; if you do this, instead of one problem you have created two. Because not only is the thing broken but now I am more annoyed because you kept it from me.
Let's end this rant in a positive way; the country is beautiful, the climate is great and on a superficial level the people are very friendly.
insightful comment. Thank you for taking the time. I am going to look at it and reread again later, for now I just wanted to say I’ve appreciated reading it, from someone experienced who decided to share something valuable.
Thanks Pablo, I really enjoyed reading your story and I recognize so much, so thank you for writing it.. With regards to the racism part, I wrote an article about it;
Ah, and even though I might sound a bit negative, I do realize there are upsides and downsides to every country and for now, there are more upsides dan downsides, even though I miss my family and friends. The moment that changes, I am out of here!
To state the obvious what you describe are different socio/cultural norms, eg in relation to conscientious and punctuality - and that’s fine and a good thing. However, it’s also a key reason why immigration into the West from culturally very different places is a bad idea all round, but especially for the host.
You are right. Some people here have the impression that Western countries are racist and I tell them about the issues we had in my country of origin with Moroccan youths. I asked them what they would do if there was an influx of Europeans in Uganda who would not integrate and their children would become a nuisance (and worse) to the locals. The response was; we would get together and beat them. And even though that is pretty rough, it is exactly what is needed in countries that are suffering from immigration problems; the guests have to adapt, not the other way around. If they are a nuisance it should be dealt with harshly and a two strikes you are out (of the country) should apply.
Sure! I have been critical about our system for more than 20 years and 10+ years ago I realized I was a hypocrite pointing at its flaws while contributing to it. So I decided to set up an NGO and help vulnerable children in an African country and by chance it became Uganda.
Now I contribute almost nothing to our sick and evil system while helping children to a better health; a win-win situation!
translation: you steal from Whites and distribute it to non-Whites that hate our guts b/c so that you can get a moral tingle and a pat on the head for being "one of the good ones".
This comment about hangings is deeply malign whether you realise or not. Africans were overwhelmingly brought to America in the slave trades. Those trafficked people in the largest majority did not *choose* to go to America and were brought over for free labour & exploitation, it is their descendants who became American and certainly part of the culture all over the country, but it was not their ancestors’ choice! They were forced. It was a life shaped by abuse from all sides.
Lynching would either be a war crime or murder in almost any circumstance (barring perhaps the death penalty for a proven murderer ) and no matter what the person’s race who is being hanged.
But even more so, this old slaver brand of racism is especially abhorrent because of how long people have tried to overturn such myths (the civil rights movement was more than 50 years ago).
I’m very sad that people still believe this was right, which they probably hear from other ignorant people, & and that someone even feels confident enough to comment in support of lynchings, of all atrocities.
It is even more depressing to see on an article that has an anti-racist spirit to it. Sad to see it. I hope your mind is more opened and changed on this at some point.
-They were labourers. Utility for the collection of cash crops yield.
-Lynchings were not random events. They happened for a reason. The pseudo-moral explanation of the "bad white man" (and it's derivatives) obscures those reasons. Hence your wall-of-text response. You have not even considered it.
-"anti-racist spirit" - Americans are so self important and "righteous". Legal-ese terminology for the chattering classes.
I am sure in your social circle you are considered a 'good boy'. :)
I’m a woman, & you are a wrong’un. Black people arrived in America because of the slave trade and would not have done otherwise in that era. It’s got nothing to do with a ‘bad white’ narrative or trying to appear good or moral. It’s the real history of what happened. You can’t pick & choose a fiction from a reality, just because you picked this hill to die on.
As I stated before; I was pointing out problems with our system for a long time and comprehended that I was a hypocrite for complaining about a system I was supporting. No white saviour complex and no personal validation, just reflecting who I am and what I support.
First of all, the people here don’t hate me and secondly, I also do projects in white countries, so you can stop with the weird insinuations.
In the particular case of The Gambia vs. Senegal, I found The Gambia to be more difficult, with respect to fighting off scammers, etc. I had some strange experiences there that I rarely have in other parts of Africa. It can be the case that one traveler's experience varies from another, it can be luck of the draw (especially at borders).
In the more general sphere of racism, or ethnic mistrust, there is certainly plenty of that around. But what I suffer on the continent in terms of disrespect really feels minor and unimportant. I fight to get a good deal on taxis, etc, just like the Africans I'm sharing the ride with. And I can't count the times people have gone out of their way to help me, in situations where I was at a disadvantage due to not knowing exactly how everyone is supposed to buy tickets, get a meal, etc.
I did enjoy reading your experiences, because parts of the African continent are challenging and can feel really intense. It’s hard to come away without a strong impression.
My experience in West Africa is more aligned with Brad's. I found The Gambia much more challenging, while Senegal was easier to navigate and interact. (Even though I don't speak French.)
The exception for me was Cote D'Ivoire, which was very heavy travel, due mainly to extreme and blanant wealth inequality caused by and exacerbating poverty and crime.
Africa, along with many regions of the world, is very complex. Especially it's social fabric. It's one of the reasons why I choose to travel there.
But it is not for the feint of heart. I found myself confronting the cultural, economic, and political inequities that exist *at all times*.
I spent three weeks in Senegal and The Gambia this past November. For the first week, I spent time at female owned farms and talked with the women and workers. In the Gambia, I spent time with several female entrepreneurs. Recently I wrote a piece about one of them.
I read this essay with interest not to comment on the racism but because I’m planning to start my sabbatical in West Africa. Behavior, postures, movements are things I’m observing so I’ll be especially interested in what I notice after reading this. Hoping the opinions don’t cloud my own observations.
Thank you. The “women gardens” are special. Often, it’s the model part of the village - well organized and maintained. And green! I often wondered if that’s because they were women-owned, while the village main squares, more dirty, with derelict machinery lying around, weren’t.
Interested to hear your perspective during / after your sabbatical, Tracy. Will look up your article re: women entrepreneurs. I met several in my time in West Africa and they were lovely, including inviting me to dinner at her home. We still friends today.
Erin, fingers crossed the article gets accepted. I have it out with three literary magazines for review. I also had a lovely time with the women I met and hope to see them again when I go.
This is like writing an article about reactive abuse in the context of abusive relationship dynamics where the abused finally starts to lash out somewhat against the abuser with words or actions that, in a vacuum, would be considered toxic and unacceptable but, in the context, should be easily understandable... and marvelling at how "nobody talks about how awful it is when abused people lash out at their abuser"... Sure, it's awful that such situations are allowed to arise in the first place. But it would be a staggerring display of wilful ignorance and empathic blindness to imply, essentially, that abused people should just do better at keeping their emotions in check.
Two wrongs don't make a right of course but really what do you expect? The legacy of exploitation and slavery is far from over. Sure it's not fair that white people who had nothing to do with those incredible moral crimes have to suffer the consequences but equally it's not fair that impoverished, immiserated children begging on the street in Africa are still sufferring the consequences of those aforementioned crimes either. Arguably, I'd say, one of those unchosen lives is far harder to bear and thus any consequent moral lapses by those most sufferring are far more understandable than the more privileged group whining about the racism they have to endure alongside the enormous privilege that they also have to suffer through...
Yeah sure it's a kind of racism, but what exactly do you think is the value in pointing that out? It's quite clearly a reactive racism, chronologically displaced from but still a direct consequence of enormously more severe forms of racism that cast dark shadows over centuries of human history.
Until, collectively, we've finally moved past those shadows as a species, such forms of relatively more mild racism should be expected to continue, and for those of us living on the more privileged side of that dark imbalance - even if we did not directly participate in the institutions of slavery and the like - it's the least we can do to try to understand it and not imply false equivalencies such as this "bUt iT's RACISM!!1" nonsense.
thank you, very thoughtful. If you can, please take a look at a comment I just left for Randall (another commenter here) for I don't want to repeat it and it is related. I want to respond longer later, for now just to say your words, balanced and thoughtful, have been appreciated and helped me gain perspective.
OK so I read that comment. I think there's a lot wrong with your approach to this topic at almost every level but I'm struggling to decide if it's innocent naivety and you're genuinely just muddling through this as you go along or deliberate disingenuity, given your fairly enthusiastic engagement with another commenter called "John" who describes himself as "not a racist" but "a white nationalist", and your vague allusion in one of those comments to a hope for some kind of "defensive patriotism"... but I'll come back to that.
Your attempt to refute any suggestion that some apparent antagonism towards white people from majority black African nations might be understandable, appears to be based on the idea that "not all white people" either benefit from or had ancestors involved in colonialism and the slave trade. You make some more specific comments about the extent of European colonialism which I think are highly questionable but other people have already addressed them and in any case I don't think those claims are even relevant to anything here... Because let's think about some of the implications of following that train of thought.
Are you saying that it would be more justified for the victims of white European slavery to make sure that the people they're going to be "racist" towards are, in fact, direct descendants of slavers? How? Why? Are the direct descendants of slavers, in fact, deserving of carrying some "ancestral guilt", which the OTHER privileged Europeans who just happen to live in a part of Europe which, maybe, didn't have colonies or perhaps even exist in it's current form during the height of slave trade, are not?
How, exactly, does anyone even quantify this? What % of ancestry should determine the appropriate amount of "ancestral guilt"? What level of indirectly inherited wealth should be the cutoff, below which us long-suffering white people can feel righteously aggrieved to be grouped in with those OTHER white people whose ancestors actually DID do more bad things and therefore actually DESERVE a little prejudice? Are Jews somewhat justified in being prejudiced towards all Germans?
I hope that I've sufficiently demonstrated that this entire line of reasoning is nonsense. The fact is no one alive today participated in the slave trade or the heights of brutality of colonial exploitation of Africa, but there is a part of the world that ended up far better off as a result of that history - and most of the people living in that part of the world are white.
This can be recognized as a fact that needs to be addressed, for the benefit of ALL HUMANITY, without making it about "ancestral guilt". Randall mentioned reparations, specifically. You appear to perceive the idea of reparations as some kind of punishment, again, for the sins of one's ancestors, but this is another strawman and/or misunderstanding. We are not responsible for the sins of our ancestors, but, those with more power and more resources have a greater responsibility towards those who are more disadvantaged. The point isn't to exact revenge on white people for slavery. It's to lessen human suffering, and to create a more just world, that doesn't punish people simply for being born in the "wrong" part of that world. If we can all agree that it's a worthwhile goal to work towards creating a better world for all humanity, then we should also be able to agree that it's a worthwhile goal to direct resources towards improving the quality of life of those humans who currently are most disadvantaged. This will benefit EVERYONE.
Back to "defensive patriotism"... What exactly is "defensive patriotism", if not prejudice directed against people who were not born in your country of origin? I won't say that patriotism in and of itself is always problematic, but given your allusion to "loyalty to one's country" as well as the focus on explicitly DEFENSIVE patriotism - ie, keeping all those damned foreigners out - I'm getting the distinct impression that your concept of patriotism is closer to racial nationalism than you either realize, or want to admit. Ethnic nationalism is essentially a twisted type of "ancestral pride", and for most of the same reasons that "ancestral guilt" doesn't make sense, plus a few more, ethnic nationalism is an incoherent, deeply toxic, and inherently racist ideology.
For that matter, aren't most of the "racist" behaviors you addressed in this article, actually just people being defensively patriotic?
Xavier, many things here in what you said, so I’ll just comment on two key thoughts:
(1) are the descendants of colonizers responsible what their fathers did? Of course not. Just like the descendants of mafiosi aren’t responsible for how their fathers had generated wealth. Unless, however, they continue to prosper benefitting from it. And here I could see the core problem for the imagined/factual colonial guilt. But I want to stop here, as the topic is not what I wrote about.
(2) what’s the point even publishing this story? That’s simple: because it’s interesting, intriguing and surprising. You may attribute it to my naivety and that would be fine: indeed, I did not expect many of those things in Africa. My intention as writer was not to make a political statement of any sort. I simply wrote a travel story. Some comments here evolved politically, but that, again, is not what the article is about.
(3) aren’t things I described simply “defensive patriotism?” Maybe. A frustrated Belgian food track owner I met in Gambia told me: “when I return home in Belgium, I’ll implement nee price list : 30 x higher price for burgers if the client is Gambian. “ I hope we, both blacks and whites, find better ways to implement our defensive patriotisms, but yes, answering your question, sadly I agree that this is one variant of it…
Appreciate your reply, perhaps I misjudged your intentions. I'll just say though in a world where overt racism, separatism and nationalism are on the rise again, it was hard not to read this as at least a little political, or at least tone deaf... apparently I am not alone in that, as there are multiple commenters who also did not read this politically neutrally, but also hold quite transparently, overtly racist views, and have clearly read this article as a justification of the correctness of their racism. It seems like you've engaged with what I've said in good faith though so again I appreciate that.
Also if the wealthier class is racist it hurts in a very different way then if it is the other way around, you teach by example, because you are at the top and you know that if you’re not the one begging for food.
It seems to me that white people are the only people who care about such notions of racism. It also appears that the only people ever accused of racism are also white people.
The reality is almost every race, if not every race, is actually racist. The white race appears to be the only race who even tries to not be racist.
I lived and worked for years up and down the African continent. The tribalism, ethnic and racial biases are sweeping and breathtaking. The LEAST racist people in Africa today happen to be of European descent or "Westerners" in general. Hell, only Westerners even give a crap about something called "racism," as a thing that is generally "bad." For most of Africa, it's just how life is.
Humanity is tribal and ethnic and racial group survival strategies is a battle of fitness. East Asian historians will write of the decline and fall of White European civilization as the logical outcome of liberalism’s false premises and misreading of human nature. Those that survive will adapt and carry group survival strategies such as in group preferences. It’s not about being good or evil in some moral code but what helps or hurts the survival of a group. Racism is “good” for nations and peoples that practice it. Japan will still be Japanese in 500 years time. But the European colonists that wrecked their way of life 500 years ago won’t exist. Their countries and genetic lines will have been wiped out. A scattered diaspora and several hold out countries (that remained “racist”) will be what survives.
sad and thoughtful. I appreciate you've shared your perspective. To this, you can add the falling birth rates in Europe, and growing attractiveness of an idea to become citizen of the world (rather than loyal citizen of your country). That said, I'd still hope we can keep the middle ground, by which I mean that defensive patriotism without racism should be entirely possible
I get what you mean, this is why I don’t call myself a “racist”. I am a white nationalist. It’s not hateful to love your own children, your own tribe, your own nation more than others. It’s a matter of survival. I will be either in the diaspora or a hold out country with my large family.
Really interesting article. I suppose there is the argument that if you can afford to travel, you can afford to pay more or that, maybe, reserving resources for locals is the right thing to do (in London, the relevant authorities are considering charging tourists for our currently free for all museums).
When you talk about a people group and stereotypical describe something, you have already defined yourself as an eternal outsider. I am a Kenyan national who has lived and owned businesses here in California for over 25 years. I am not friends with Americans. I have specific friends who are American, both white and black. I have also friends who are Kenyan and African. You befriend and interact with specific people. As long as you see them as abstract “Senegalese” or Ugandans, you will never have a genuine friend. My test of friendship is whether someone who has capacity and is my friend can wire me $1000 no questions asked, and work out the payment plans later. The friends in this category are black, white, Africans, and Kenyan in identity. Specific people. And leave the Messiah complex at home. You are not in Africa to solve problems. We were here before you and will outlive. Come work with us, not on us. Poverty has no color. Neither does kindness
My people say, ndũgũ nĩ makinya. Thiĩ kahora. Translate: friendship is a journey of many small steps not an Olympic sprint. If you can tell me my childhood nickname-you might be on the path to friendship.
In the "no racism of blacks against whites" I have t disagree with your assertion that colonialism is a thing of the past. France still meddles in local politixs and extracts resources from ut's firmer colonies. Colonialism changed into corporatism but the same patterns emurge and shape our modern world.
Yes, I have to agree (and I did write about it elsewhere). The French grip on Africa, still extremely strong in areas where business and politics interconnects, is contributing very negatively still today to what's happening on the African continent. When I said most Europeans had nothing to do with it, I meant something else: I meant that most contemporary Europeans come from countries that never had colonies, and by contrast, were themselves colonized and subjugated for centuries by those empires who were the colonial powers in the time. For those persons (myself included), the idea of collective guilt of white race for colonialism is foreign and quite absurd.
People are racist everywhere. This is not a discovery you should have needed experience to arrive at. Africa has had several genocidal wars based on ethnicity as has almost every other continent.
People, everywhere, also rip off foreigners. And have forever. They recommend against it in the Bible showing its been around awhile as a thing. When I was a roofer in Miami I had a boss who used to hire South American carpenters for the week and then refuse to pay because without documents there was nothing they could do about it. I quit the job as soon as possible but it was enlightening.
People will always try and screw over those without the ability to defend themselves. Just as the colonial powers did to Africa and as the Aztecs did to the tribes around them.
That this is a truism shows nothing other than most people are immoral and unethical and it's only state power that prevents chaos and disorder. Africa has weak states other than a few exceptions and as such those in a situation without power are likely to be taken advantage of by somebody.
Throw another log on the fire that is the case for banning these people from entering the United States. A Senegalese man recently committed a mass shooting in my city. There will be long term consequences to bringing these people over here and the people who made the decision to allow them in won’t experience these consequences when they are swilling wine at Davos.
I spent a few years growing up in Jamaica as a child. A whole island whose entire history was either white colonialism or how the black heroes fought for their freedom from the white slavers.
My sister and I were the only white kids in the school. I experienced racial bullying. Looking back, I can say now that it probably wasn’t very much, but at the time it was enough that it coloured the rest of my experience.
I also experience the kind of treatment you described - “white person = rich” - in India when I was volunteering there as a student. I had raised money to go, I barely had anything to my name! But everyone tried to rip us off any chance they got as soon as they saw us.
I’m relieved to read someone else who can see that this kind of thing exists.
The article seems fair and balanced and nuanced and reflective. Credit where due. Couple of comments:
"The whites are generally and commonly expected to pay considerably more for services not because they are foreigners, but because they are white. In tourist areas, often services are free for blacks, but paid for whites. One could argue this isn’t racism, but rather economic opportunism directed at perceived wealth. Unfortunately not." ===>
I agree. Though it's complicated and fraught with operational difficulties resulting in practical racism. Let me explain. In India for example, most government run tourist attractions such as Museums or the Taj Mahal ubiquitously charge exorbitant entry fees from non-Indians. For instance, expand the visiting hours and rules for the Bombay Museum [here : https://networksofthepast.csmvs.in/visit-us/ ]
Observe that for foreigners it's more than 3 times (700 vs. 200). Now even if one thinks of this as state-sponsored economic thuggery, in practice the ticket counter people will use their discretion to demand the higher rate if you are clearly White and/or obviously Black but if you are brown - and even if you are not an Indian National (say, a Indian-American), they have no actual means to visually determine your nationality. So if it's a 5 person family trip to the museum with 2 members who are "foreigners" then the tendency is to pay the lower Indian rates and get in. If one of the family members is married to a White person then the ticket counter official will often demand the higher rate only from the evident foreigner, leading to embarrassing situations. For many resident Indians, as well, all this - the two tier system - seems unfair, exploitative, subject to whims of faulty official visual discrimination.
"Most contemporary Europeans have nothing to do with the colonial burden " ===> I am not sure I can acquiesce with this opinion in entirety. Perhaps it's the case that most contemporary Europeans for sure no longer harbour any favourable views of their past colonial history. That said, there is a sense that the centuries long enormous drain of wealth from India to UK for example - calculated at a unbelievable $45 Trillion Dollars
has in some way, perhaps not understood or even aware of by descendants has in some way allowed them to lead relatively prosperous lives today, compared to today's citizens in Africa and India. There are no free lunches.
Thank you. Your comment too is very fair and balanced, I appreciate it. Just to make my earlier statement precise: when I said that “most contemporary Europeans had nothing to do with the colonial burden”, I meant that the vast majority of today’s EU countries never had colonies. Just the contrary, they were colonized themselves. I mean: Ireland, Finland, the Baltics, Poland, Slovakia, the entire Central Europe, Bulgaria, the Balkans and so on, and then most of Scandinavia. All those nations had to suffer for centuries, and the scale of this was literally comparable to the African slavery: many millions of Irish dead or deported by England, 18 million of Soviet Gulag victims (citizens of Ukraine, Poland, Byelarus etc), several million of slaves deported from Balkans over 600 years of Ottoman rule. Making those European nations responsible for colonialism would be extremely unfair - it’s like you said that the Africans sold themselves into slavery. That would be an enormous oversimplification.
The "white price" is the foreigner price. Everywhere on earth; locals ripoff tourists and/or newcomers who don't know the local prices. New York where Im from does this; any little shop that isnt computerized. They even rip off the NYU freshmen in Greenwich village every Aug-Sept before the kids get streetwise.
My parents native Greece tried to rip me off every time I visited over rooms, rental mopeds, drinks, anywhere they could give a verbal price.
The truth is: a tourist from a western country has vast salaries compared to most of the world. As a 21 year old waiter in New York I earned as much as an educated professional in Greece established for 10 years. A pittance to us is good $ to them. A big, good meal that costs at least 25$ in NYC 1999 was only 8$ worth of drachmas to me in Aug 1999 in Crete. So of course a server woukd try to charge double the local price...still a bargain; but what a windfall for the local. He pockets the extra.
As most people live week to week; a "wealthy" tourist who is only middle class by American standards saved up 3-4K ; might be the equivalent of a half a year's salary to spend 10 days abroad. That's a juicy target to overcharge. It takes a grossly fraudulent overcharge to match the domestic prices in Paris, London, NYC. 7$ for a Cappuccino???
Yes. And even though the average income differs enormously among the “white” countries, not to mention social and economic stratification inside any of those societies, it’s hard to judge the people in distant lands for not knowing that and making an easy assumption: white = rich
I was "rich" as a 22 year old NYC waiter tourist in Greece. My 1999 2000$ of spending $ to spend 14 days was like 4 months of avg salary. Even when ripped off it wasn't NYC prices. A luxury hotel with a balcony view of Mediterranean cost 60$ per night and back then Ramada Inn Queens was 150$. Luxury stay in NYC was 500$ a night; an extravagance Id never afford then or today.
First: most of the world has lower prices. Second: No matter what, a tourist is affluence defined. Going away to another country, purely for fun not for a family funeral, wedding, etc is beyond the means of 98% of the world. To even have a workplace that would hold your job is such affluence. For example: Anyone working in a restaurant (like i did) who leaves will not have work when they return. They cant just close they have to hire replacement immediately. Whenever I returned from greece I had to find a new job. The owners rarely travelled; unless they had trusted partners , a brother, to cover.
So to the shopkeepers and locals and such, who will never see the world, the tourist is an object of envy.
When I was in Cameroon talking with local people the sentences were all same..we Wolof are the good ones the other are thieves then we Fulani are the good ones the rest are beggars then We Bujumba are the good ones the others are liars and criminals….and so on and on and on…
PS fundamentally I agree with you. It’s not agreeable to be judged and treated as though you have no independent thought and belong to collective guilt
As a white man living and working in Uganda for over 10 years I completely agree and I have been in many similar situations. Here they speak English but in their local languages it seems they have no friendly way of asking things; children will come up to you and say "give me my money" or "give me my sweets". The racism is off the charts here; this tribe is stubborn, this tribe is untrustworthy, this tribe.. The many times I have heard "you whites..", I can't even count it on 100 hands. I have gotten used to the mzungu (white man) price and I have almost become used to people calling me mzungu, even though it keeps being annoying.
The biggest problem I have is with how difficult it is to trust someone. Almost everyone I have encountered have tried to take advantage of me, steal from etc etc. It makes life so tiresome and frustrating, especially since I am here starting projects to help children get better nutrition and I pay it all from my own savings and friendly donors. Sure, I am not poor when next to an average villager but I am definitely not rich. Not even close.
The last part that can be frustrating is simply counting on someone. "I will be there tomorrow in the morning" basically tells you he might come somewhere this year. When you call around noon where he is, he is always "on the way" but even then it can take another week. Ah.. Now that I am ranting, let me add this one; when you fail what you were supposed to do or you break something, it is local customs to just keep quiet until the person confronts you. Freaking annoying. I just explained it to a staff member this morning; if you do this, instead of one problem you have created two. Because not only is the thing broken but now I am more annoyed because you kept it from me.
Let's end this rant in a positive way; the country is beautiful, the climate is great and on a superficial level the people are very friendly.
insightful comment. Thank you for taking the time. I am going to look at it and reread again later, for now I just wanted to say I’ve appreciated reading it, from someone experienced who decided to share something valuable.
Thanks Pablo, I really enjoyed reading your story and I recognize so much, so thank you for writing it.. With regards to the racism part, I wrote an article about it;
https://invertedreality.substack.com/p/what-is-racism?r=3im58k
Would love to hear your reaction!
Ah, and even though I might sound a bit negative, I do realize there are upsides and downsides to every country and for now, there are more upsides dan downsides, even though I miss my family and friends. The moment that changes, I am out of here!
To state the obvious what you describe are different socio/cultural norms, eg in relation to conscientious and punctuality - and that’s fine and a good thing. However, it’s also a key reason why immigration into the West from culturally very different places is a bad idea all round, but especially for the host.
You are right. Some people here have the impression that Western countries are racist and I tell them about the issues we had in my country of origin with Moroccan youths. I asked them what they would do if there was an influx of Europeans in Uganda who would not integrate and their children would become a nuisance (and worse) to the locals. The response was; we would get together and beat them. And even though that is pretty rough, it is exactly what is needed in countries that are suffering from immigration problems; the guests have to adapt, not the other way around. If they are a nuisance it should be dealt with harshly and a two strikes you are out (of the country) should apply.
May I ask, why have you chosen to live in Uganda for 10+ years. Is it for a business, or you just love the country etc?
Sure! I have been critical about our system for more than 20 years and 10+ years ago I realized I was a hypocrite pointing at its flaws while contributing to it. So I decided to set up an NGO and help vulnerable children in an African country and by chance it became Uganda.
Now I contribute almost nothing to our sick and evil system while helping children to a better health; a win-win situation!
translation: you steal from Whites and distribute it to non-Whites that hate our guts b/c so that you can get a moral tingle and a pat on the head for being "one of the good ones".
This comment about hangings is deeply malign whether you realise or not. Africans were overwhelmingly brought to America in the slave trades. Those trafficked people in the largest majority did not *choose* to go to America and were brought over for free labour & exploitation, it is their descendants who became American and certainly part of the culture all over the country, but it was not their ancestors’ choice! They were forced. It was a life shaped by abuse from all sides.
Lynching would either be a war crime or murder in almost any circumstance (barring perhaps the death penalty for a proven murderer ) and no matter what the person’s race who is being hanged.
But even more so, this old slaver brand of racism is especially abhorrent because of how long people have tried to overturn such myths (the civil rights movement was more than 50 years ago).
I’m very sad that people still believe this was right, which they probably hear from other ignorant people, & and that someone even feels confident enough to comment in support of lynchings, of all atrocities.
It is even more depressing to see on an article that has an anti-racist spirit to it. Sad to see it. I hope your mind is more opened and changed on this at some point.
-They were labourers. Utility for the collection of cash crops yield.
-Lynchings were not random events. They happened for a reason. The pseudo-moral explanation of the "bad white man" (and it's derivatives) obscures those reasons. Hence your wall-of-text response. You have not even considered it.
-"anti-racist spirit" - Americans are so self important and "righteous". Legal-ese terminology for the chattering classes.
I am sure in your social circle you are considered a 'good boy'. :)
I’m a woman, & you are a wrong’un. Black people arrived in America because of the slave trade and would not have done otherwise in that era. It’s got nothing to do with a ‘bad white’ narrative or trying to appear good or moral. It’s the real history of what happened. You can’t pick & choose a fiction from a reality, just because you picked this hill to die on.
Why are you feeding and helping people who hate you and want your people dead?
As I stated before; I was pointing out problems with our system for a long time and comprehended that I was a hypocrite for complaining about a system I was supporting. No white saviour complex and no personal validation, just reflecting who I am and what I support.
First of all, the people here don’t hate me and secondly, I also do projects in white countries, so you can stop with the weird insinuations.
you steal resources from your kin and give it to ppl who view us as walking vending machines who they can gut at a whim to get to the candy inside.
reflect on the levels of self-hatred and kin-treason you are steeped in.
https://nomadicmind.substack.com/p/toubab?r=o99q&utm_medium=ios they don’t, and Christ teaches to love and help the weak
In the particular case of The Gambia vs. Senegal, I found The Gambia to be more difficult, with respect to fighting off scammers, etc. I had some strange experiences there that I rarely have in other parts of Africa. It can be the case that one traveler's experience varies from another, it can be luck of the draw (especially at borders).
In the more general sphere of racism, or ethnic mistrust, there is certainly plenty of that around. But what I suffer on the continent in terms of disrespect really feels minor and unimportant. I fight to get a good deal on taxis, etc, just like the Africans I'm sharing the ride with. And I can't count the times people have gone out of their way to help me, in situations where I was at a disadvantage due to not knowing exactly how everyone is supposed to buy tickets, get a meal, etc.
Fair an honest. Thank you for this commentary Brad, also quite valuable to other readers many of whom have not been to places described, and you have.
I did enjoy reading your experiences, because parts of the African continent are challenging and can feel really intense. It’s hard to come away without a strong impression.
My experience in West Africa is more aligned with Brad's. I found The Gambia much more challenging, while Senegal was easier to navigate and interact. (Even though I don't speak French.)
The exception for me was Cote D'Ivoire, which was very heavy travel, due mainly to extreme and blanant wealth inequality caused by and exacerbating poverty and crime.
Africa, along with many regions of the world, is very complex. Especially it's social fabric. It's one of the reasons why I choose to travel there.
But it is not for the feint of heart. I found myself confronting the cultural, economic, and political inequities that exist *at all times*.
Thank you. Same here. Africa blows your mind. You won’t understand humanity, stopping at “nice” destinations only.
I spent three weeks in Senegal and The Gambia this past November. For the first week, I spent time at female owned farms and talked with the women and workers. In the Gambia, I spent time with several female entrepreneurs. Recently I wrote a piece about one of them.
I read this essay with interest not to comment on the racism but because I’m planning to start my sabbatical in West Africa. Behavior, postures, movements are things I’m observing so I’ll be especially interested in what I notice after reading this. Hoping the opinions don’t cloud my own observations.
Thank you. The “women gardens” are special. Often, it’s the model part of the village - well organized and maintained. And green! I often wondered if that’s because they were women-owned, while the village main squares, more dirty, with derelict machinery lying around, weren’t.
Interested to hear your perspective during / after your sabbatical, Tracy. Will look up your article re: women entrepreneurs. I met several in my time in West Africa and they were lovely, including inviting me to dinner at her home. We still friends today.
Erin, fingers crossed the article gets accepted. I have it out with three literary magazines for review. I also had a lovely time with the women I met and hope to see them again when I go.
Good luck!🤞
This is like writing an article about reactive abuse in the context of abusive relationship dynamics where the abused finally starts to lash out somewhat against the abuser with words or actions that, in a vacuum, would be considered toxic and unacceptable but, in the context, should be easily understandable... and marvelling at how "nobody talks about how awful it is when abused people lash out at their abuser"... Sure, it's awful that such situations are allowed to arise in the first place. But it would be a staggerring display of wilful ignorance and empathic blindness to imply, essentially, that abused people should just do better at keeping their emotions in check.
Two wrongs don't make a right of course but really what do you expect? The legacy of exploitation and slavery is far from over. Sure it's not fair that white people who had nothing to do with those incredible moral crimes have to suffer the consequences but equally it's not fair that impoverished, immiserated children begging on the street in Africa are still sufferring the consequences of those aforementioned crimes either. Arguably, I'd say, one of those unchosen lives is far harder to bear and thus any consequent moral lapses by those most sufferring are far more understandable than the more privileged group whining about the racism they have to endure alongside the enormous privilege that they also have to suffer through...
Yeah sure it's a kind of racism, but what exactly do you think is the value in pointing that out? It's quite clearly a reactive racism, chronologically displaced from but still a direct consequence of enormously more severe forms of racism that cast dark shadows over centuries of human history.
Until, collectively, we've finally moved past those shadows as a species, such forms of relatively more mild racism should be expected to continue, and for those of us living on the more privileged side of that dark imbalance - even if we did not directly participate in the institutions of slavery and the like - it's the least we can do to try to understand it and not imply false equivalencies such as this "bUt iT's RACISM!!1" nonsense.
thank you, very thoughtful. If you can, please take a look at a comment I just left for Randall (another commenter here) for I don't want to repeat it and it is related. I want to respond longer later, for now just to say your words, balanced and thoughtful, have been appreciated and helped me gain perspective.
OK so I read that comment. I think there's a lot wrong with your approach to this topic at almost every level but I'm struggling to decide if it's innocent naivety and you're genuinely just muddling through this as you go along or deliberate disingenuity, given your fairly enthusiastic engagement with another commenter called "John" who describes himself as "not a racist" but "a white nationalist", and your vague allusion in one of those comments to a hope for some kind of "defensive patriotism"... but I'll come back to that.
Your attempt to refute any suggestion that some apparent antagonism towards white people from majority black African nations might be understandable, appears to be based on the idea that "not all white people" either benefit from or had ancestors involved in colonialism and the slave trade. You make some more specific comments about the extent of European colonialism which I think are highly questionable but other people have already addressed them and in any case I don't think those claims are even relevant to anything here... Because let's think about some of the implications of following that train of thought.
Are you saying that it would be more justified for the victims of white European slavery to make sure that the people they're going to be "racist" towards are, in fact, direct descendants of slavers? How? Why? Are the direct descendants of slavers, in fact, deserving of carrying some "ancestral guilt", which the OTHER privileged Europeans who just happen to live in a part of Europe which, maybe, didn't have colonies or perhaps even exist in it's current form during the height of slave trade, are not?
How, exactly, does anyone even quantify this? What % of ancestry should determine the appropriate amount of "ancestral guilt"? What level of indirectly inherited wealth should be the cutoff, below which us long-suffering white people can feel righteously aggrieved to be grouped in with those OTHER white people whose ancestors actually DID do more bad things and therefore actually DESERVE a little prejudice? Are Jews somewhat justified in being prejudiced towards all Germans?
I hope that I've sufficiently demonstrated that this entire line of reasoning is nonsense. The fact is no one alive today participated in the slave trade or the heights of brutality of colonial exploitation of Africa, but there is a part of the world that ended up far better off as a result of that history - and most of the people living in that part of the world are white.
This can be recognized as a fact that needs to be addressed, for the benefit of ALL HUMANITY, without making it about "ancestral guilt". Randall mentioned reparations, specifically. You appear to perceive the idea of reparations as some kind of punishment, again, for the sins of one's ancestors, but this is another strawman and/or misunderstanding. We are not responsible for the sins of our ancestors, but, those with more power and more resources have a greater responsibility towards those who are more disadvantaged. The point isn't to exact revenge on white people for slavery. It's to lessen human suffering, and to create a more just world, that doesn't punish people simply for being born in the "wrong" part of that world. If we can all agree that it's a worthwhile goal to work towards creating a better world for all humanity, then we should also be able to agree that it's a worthwhile goal to direct resources towards improving the quality of life of those humans who currently are most disadvantaged. This will benefit EVERYONE.
Back to "defensive patriotism"... What exactly is "defensive patriotism", if not prejudice directed against people who were not born in your country of origin? I won't say that patriotism in and of itself is always problematic, but given your allusion to "loyalty to one's country" as well as the focus on explicitly DEFENSIVE patriotism - ie, keeping all those damned foreigners out - I'm getting the distinct impression that your concept of patriotism is closer to racial nationalism than you either realize, or want to admit. Ethnic nationalism is essentially a twisted type of "ancestral pride", and for most of the same reasons that "ancestral guilt" doesn't make sense, plus a few more, ethnic nationalism is an incoherent, deeply toxic, and inherently racist ideology.
For that matter, aren't most of the "racist" behaviors you addressed in this article, actually just people being defensively patriotic?
Xavier, many things here in what you said, so I’ll just comment on two key thoughts:
(1) are the descendants of colonizers responsible what their fathers did? Of course not. Just like the descendants of mafiosi aren’t responsible for how their fathers had generated wealth. Unless, however, they continue to prosper benefitting from it. And here I could see the core problem for the imagined/factual colonial guilt. But I want to stop here, as the topic is not what I wrote about.
(2) what’s the point even publishing this story? That’s simple: because it’s interesting, intriguing and surprising. You may attribute it to my naivety and that would be fine: indeed, I did not expect many of those things in Africa. My intention as writer was not to make a political statement of any sort. I simply wrote a travel story. Some comments here evolved politically, but that, again, is not what the article is about.
(3) aren’t things I described simply “defensive patriotism?” Maybe. A frustrated Belgian food track owner I met in Gambia told me: “when I return home in Belgium, I’ll implement nee price list : 30 x higher price for burgers if the client is Gambian. “ I hope we, both blacks and whites, find better ways to implement our defensive patriotisms, but yes, answering your question, sadly I agree that this is one variant of it…
Appreciate your reply, perhaps I misjudged your intentions. I'll just say though in a world where overt racism, separatism and nationalism are on the rise again, it was hard not to read this as at least a little political, or at least tone deaf... apparently I am not alone in that, as there are multiple commenters who also did not read this politically neutrally, but also hold quite transparently, overtly racist views, and have clearly read this article as a justification of the correctness of their racism. It seems like you've engaged with what I've said in good faith though so again I appreciate that.
Also if the wealthier class is racist it hurts in a very different way then if it is the other way around, you teach by example, because you are at the top and you know that if you’re not the one begging for food.
It seems to me that white people are the only people who care about such notions of racism. It also appears that the only people ever accused of racism are also white people.
The reality is almost every race, if not every race, is actually racist. The white race appears to be the only race who even tries to not be racist.
This is a completely ahistorical comment
He is right
I lived and worked for years up and down the African continent. The tribalism, ethnic and racial biases are sweeping and breathtaking. The LEAST racist people in Africa today happen to be of European descent or "Westerners" in general. Hell, only Westerners even give a crap about something called "racism," as a thing that is generally "bad." For most of Africa, it's just how life is.
Humanity is tribal and ethnic and racial group survival strategies is a battle of fitness. East Asian historians will write of the decline and fall of White European civilization as the logical outcome of liberalism’s false premises and misreading of human nature. Those that survive will adapt and carry group survival strategies such as in group preferences. It’s not about being good or evil in some moral code but what helps or hurts the survival of a group. Racism is “good” for nations and peoples that practice it. Japan will still be Japanese in 500 years time. But the European colonists that wrecked their way of life 500 years ago won’t exist. Their countries and genetic lines will have been wiped out. A scattered diaspora and several hold out countries (that remained “racist”) will be what survives.
sad and thoughtful. I appreciate you've shared your perspective. To this, you can add the falling birth rates in Europe, and growing attractiveness of an idea to become citizen of the world (rather than loyal citizen of your country). That said, I'd still hope we can keep the middle ground, by which I mean that defensive patriotism without racism should be entirely possible
I get what you mean, this is why I don’t call myself a “racist”. I am a white nationalist. It’s not hateful to love your own children, your own tribe, your own nation more than others. It’s a matter of survival. I will be either in the diaspora or a hold out country with my large family.
What is "white" in your context?
Europeans
Really interesting article. I suppose there is the argument that if you can afford to travel, you can afford to pay more or that, maybe, reserving resources for locals is the right thing to do (in London, the relevant authorities are considering charging tourists for our currently free for all museums).
It’s made me think.
When you talk about a people group and stereotypical describe something, you have already defined yourself as an eternal outsider. I am a Kenyan national who has lived and owned businesses here in California for over 25 years. I am not friends with Americans. I have specific friends who are American, both white and black. I have also friends who are Kenyan and African. You befriend and interact with specific people. As long as you see them as abstract “Senegalese” or Ugandans, you will never have a genuine friend. My test of friendship is whether someone who has capacity and is my friend can wire me $1000 no questions asked, and work out the payment plans later. The friends in this category are black, white, Africans, and Kenyan in identity. Specific people. And leave the Messiah complex at home. You are not in Africa to solve problems. We were here before you and will outlive. Come work with us, not on us. Poverty has no color. Neither does kindness
You my friend. Give me one thousand dollar!
My people say, ndũgũ nĩ makinya. Thiĩ kahora. Translate: friendship is a journey of many small steps not an Olympic sprint. If you can tell me my childhood nickname-you might be on the path to friendship.
In the "no racism of blacks against whites" I have t disagree with your assertion that colonialism is a thing of the past. France still meddles in local politixs and extracts resources from ut's firmer colonies. Colonialism changed into corporatism but the same patterns emurge and shape our modern world.
Yes, I have to agree (and I did write about it elsewhere). The French grip on Africa, still extremely strong in areas where business and politics interconnects, is contributing very negatively still today to what's happening on the African continent. When I said most Europeans had nothing to do with it, I meant something else: I meant that most contemporary Europeans come from countries that never had colonies, and by contrast, were themselves colonized and subjugated for centuries by those empires who were the colonial powers in the time. For those persons (myself included), the idea of collective guilt of white race for colonialism is foreign and quite absurd.
People are racist everywhere. This is not a discovery you should have needed experience to arrive at. Africa has had several genocidal wars based on ethnicity as has almost every other continent.
People, everywhere, also rip off foreigners. And have forever. They recommend against it in the Bible showing its been around awhile as a thing. When I was a roofer in Miami I had a boss who used to hire South American carpenters for the week and then refuse to pay because without documents there was nothing they could do about it. I quit the job as soon as possible but it was enlightening.
People will always try and screw over those without the ability to defend themselves. Just as the colonial powers did to Africa and as the Aztecs did to the tribes around them.
That this is a truism shows nothing other than most people are immoral and unethical and it's only state power that prevents chaos and disorder. Africa has weak states other than a few exceptions and as such those in a situation without power are likely to be taken advantage of by somebody.
Throw another log on the fire that is the case for banning these people from entering the United States. A Senegalese man recently committed a mass shooting in my city. There will be long term consequences to bringing these people over here and the people who made the decision to allow them in won’t experience these consequences when they are swilling wine at Davos.
I spent a few years growing up in Jamaica as a child. A whole island whose entire history was either white colonialism or how the black heroes fought for their freedom from the white slavers.
My sister and I were the only white kids in the school. I experienced racial bullying. Looking back, I can say now that it probably wasn’t very much, but at the time it was enough that it coloured the rest of my experience.
I also experience the kind of treatment you described - “white person = rich” - in India when I was volunteering there as a student. I had raised money to go, I barely had anything to my name! But everyone tried to rip us off any chance they got as soon as they saw us.
I’m relieved to read someone else who can see that this kind of thing exists.
The article seems fair and balanced and nuanced and reflective. Credit where due. Couple of comments:
"The whites are generally and commonly expected to pay considerably more for services not because they are foreigners, but because they are white. In tourist areas, often services are free for blacks, but paid for whites. One could argue this isn’t racism, but rather economic opportunism directed at perceived wealth. Unfortunately not." ===>
I agree. Though it's complicated and fraught with operational difficulties resulting in practical racism. Let me explain. In India for example, most government run tourist attractions such as Museums or the Taj Mahal ubiquitously charge exorbitant entry fees from non-Indians. For instance, expand the visiting hours and rules for the Bombay Museum [here : https://networksofthepast.csmvs.in/visit-us/ ]
Observe that for foreigners it's more than 3 times (700 vs. 200). Now even if one thinks of this as state-sponsored economic thuggery, in practice the ticket counter people will use their discretion to demand the higher rate if you are clearly White and/or obviously Black but if you are brown - and even if you are not an Indian National (say, a Indian-American), they have no actual means to visually determine your nationality. So if it's a 5 person family trip to the museum with 2 members who are "foreigners" then the tendency is to pay the lower Indian rates and get in. If one of the family members is married to a White person then the ticket counter official will often demand the higher rate only from the evident foreigner, leading to embarrassing situations. For many resident Indians, as well, all this - the two tier system - seems unfair, exploitative, subject to whims of faulty official visual discrimination.
"Most contemporary Europeans have nothing to do with the colonial burden " ===> I am not sure I can acquiesce with this opinion in entirety. Perhaps it's the case that most contemporary Europeans for sure no longer harbour any favourable views of their past colonial history. That said, there is a sense that the centuries long enormous drain of wealth from India to UK for example - calculated at a unbelievable $45 Trillion Dollars
[ https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/12/19/how-britain-stole-45-trillion-from-india ]
has in some way, perhaps not understood or even aware of by descendants has in some way allowed them to lead relatively prosperous lives today, compared to today's citizens in Africa and India. There are no free lunches.
Thank you. Your comment too is very fair and balanced, I appreciate it. Just to make my earlier statement precise: when I said that “most contemporary Europeans had nothing to do with the colonial burden”, I meant that the vast majority of today’s EU countries never had colonies. Just the contrary, they were colonized themselves. I mean: Ireland, Finland, the Baltics, Poland, Slovakia, the entire Central Europe, Bulgaria, the Balkans and so on, and then most of Scandinavia. All those nations had to suffer for centuries, and the scale of this was literally comparable to the African slavery: many millions of Irish dead or deported by England, 18 million of Soviet Gulag victims (citizens of Ukraine, Poland, Byelarus etc), several million of slaves deported from Balkans over 600 years of Ottoman rule. Making those European nations responsible for colonialism would be extremely unfair - it’s like you said that the Africans sold themselves into slavery. That would be an enormous oversimplification.
" vast majority of today’s EU countries never had colonies"
Why is having colonies framed as a bad thing?
The "white price" is the foreigner price. Everywhere on earth; locals ripoff tourists and/or newcomers who don't know the local prices. New York where Im from does this; any little shop that isnt computerized. They even rip off the NYU freshmen in Greenwich village every Aug-Sept before the kids get streetwise.
My parents native Greece tried to rip me off every time I visited over rooms, rental mopeds, drinks, anywhere they could give a verbal price.
The truth is: a tourist from a western country has vast salaries compared to most of the world. As a 21 year old waiter in New York I earned as much as an educated professional in Greece established for 10 years. A pittance to us is good $ to them. A big, good meal that costs at least 25$ in NYC 1999 was only 8$ worth of drachmas to me in Aug 1999 in Crete. So of course a server woukd try to charge double the local price...still a bargain; but what a windfall for the local. He pockets the extra.
As most people live week to week; a "wealthy" tourist who is only middle class by American standards saved up 3-4K ; might be the equivalent of a half a year's salary to spend 10 days abroad. That's a juicy target to overcharge. It takes a grossly fraudulent overcharge to match the domestic prices in Paris, London, NYC. 7$ for a Cappuccino???
Yes. And even though the average income differs enormously among the “white” countries, not to mention social and economic stratification inside any of those societies, it’s hard to judge the people in distant lands for not knowing that and making an easy assumption: white = rich
I was "rich" as a 22 year old NYC waiter tourist in Greece. My 1999 2000$ of spending $ to spend 14 days was like 4 months of avg salary. Even when ripped off it wasn't NYC prices. A luxury hotel with a balcony view of Mediterranean cost 60$ per night and back then Ramada Inn Queens was 150$. Luxury stay in NYC was 500$ a night; an extravagance Id never afford then or today.
First: most of the world has lower prices. Second: No matter what, a tourist is affluence defined. Going away to another country, purely for fun not for a family funeral, wedding, etc is beyond the means of 98% of the world. To even have a workplace that would hold your job is such affluence. For example: Anyone working in a restaurant (like i did) who leaves will not have work when they return. They cant just close they have to hire replacement immediately. Whenever I returned from greece I had to find a new job. The owners rarely travelled; unless they had trusted partners , a brother, to cover.
So to the shopkeepers and locals and such, who will never see the world, the tourist is an object of envy.
When I was in Cameroon talking with local people the sentences were all same..we Wolof are the good ones the other are thieves then we Fulani are the good ones the rest are beggars then We Bujumba are the good ones the others are liars and criminals….and so on and on and on…
Diversity is their strenght.
PS fundamentally I agree with you. It’s not agreeable to be judged and treated as though you have no independent thought and belong to collective guilt
Thanks for this, it’s not a place I would ever wish to go but I really appreciate the insight.