Mzungu

09-18-06
I am a mzungu. Mzungu means colloquially white person. It is an uncomfortable status. Sure it makes you a local celebrity with children as you walk around. It also means, however, that you are associated with money and influence. This is easily handled when dealing with boda-boda’s (mopeds) or other negotiations. Within business exchange, it is easy to see how someone is trying to get extra money out of you because you are white, because they perceive you as coming loaded with cash. As I said, easily handled in the market place. In the market place you are able to negotiate. The market place is the forum for challenges, discussions, bargaining and rejection. What happens though, when this attitude of the rich white mzungu leaves the market place and enters into your personal life? I am getting the feeling that I am seen as an asset not because of who I am, but because I somehow represent cash and influence. I have been approached by a guy who I have come to know over this past week to help find ways that money can be raised for the various projects he is involved with. He is doing good work and I would like to see them come to fruition, but I am also getting this sense of entanglement. The other day, to my surprise, I was introduced as someone who has accepted to be the coordinator of Uganda for some organization. Now this was a big surprise to me! I already said that I would like to see good work be furthered, but you can see why all the sudden I start having anxiety over these issues. So when one is in an area of great need, how does one discern where help can be best given? Is it a matter of first come first serve?


Well, it seems a long time since I have blogged. I haven’t had regular power, so I haven’t been able to use my computer. I have also been quite busy with my research. Yesterday I finished up a second interview with a theologian named John Mary Waliggo. I can tell you that our conversation really restored a lot of vigor and enthusiasm to my project. He is a remarkable man. He is a theologian who runs the social justice office for the Ugandan catholic secretariat. He does an excellent job of marrying together liberation theology and inculturation. He makes it matter of human dignity. One thing that he said that particularly struck me was that a civilization cannot be built on borrowed values. Things cannot be imported, if they will take seed, they have to be owned!

I met another theologian right here in my residence by chance! His name is Fred tinsingere and he is from western Uganda. He was here getting his visa for the embassy and as I told him that interviewed J.M Waliggo regarding Inculturation, he told me that he has met with him too regarding a chapter in his thesis on the problems with inculturation. Well, the next day I visited the white fathers, and one of them lent me Fr. Fred’s book that he wrote as his dissertation. After running around that day, I made my way home and started reading it. Later that evening I interviewed him on the topic. He is more critical of current uses of incultratuin and says that a more full inculturation of evangelization has to take place before a real authentic African liturgy can occur.

Otherwise life moves on normally here. No paved roads, risking my life on mopeds and all in all having a grand time