The first post.
Long overdue. I apologize (mom).
Mmboy, i'm sure in a bit of a bad mood right now.
So i'll be a little more brutal than is probably accurate.
Oh boy, how to wrap it up? Put it all into a few quick sentences?
Okay, how about this: expensive
Here's another: underdeveloped
How can the two co-exist do you ask? Probably rampant, flagrant corruption. All I know is it's certainly not a backpacker's panacea. In fact I think I may have seen only 2 backpackers in my week and a half here, and I'm not certain that they weren't some kids on a mission trip taking a weekend trip.
Well, being the only backpacker around is mighty fine for authenticity and everything - I want to be in the REAL Kenya without all those WHITE tourists - but that's not what it is. No no. The white people are here, but only for a week or two and almost entirely to be carted from place to place in a private van and taken to their hotel and then to watch some wild animals defecate while they snap pictures and then maybe over to some curio shops so they can say to their friends, "I got this in Africa!". The tourist market in East Africa is simply for those looking to burn $6,000 in a week or two.
Have I met interesting foreigners? One, and she placed in my mind the question that has been nagging me since I arrived. (More to come)
Can I do things on the fly? Maybe a bus ride but that's about it.
Can I do things on the cheap? For food and lodging it's possible, but not for many activities.
And there's where the real icing on the cake comes. Maybe some things are cheap here - but you have to fight for it every step of the way. It helps that I can speak some Swahili, but if a Kenyan sees a white face they think it's completely acceptable to try to charge you double or triple or more. In the places of interest (National Museums, old ruins, old fortresses) this practice is institutionalized - you pay 800 to 1000% more for a ticket if you're a foreigner). People say, well, it's money that's going to the government and it's a large source of income - and it is, but let's talk about accountability? How is it spent? How many government agents got weekend trips or bar tabs or more? When I first arrived I was friendly, replying to everyone's Jambo. Coming over when beckoned etc. At the first hostel I stayed at I helped a guard who said his wife was sick with typhoid and malaria. I bought the necessary medication and gave it to him (it cost about $16).
But now, I've experienced that 1 times out of 20 maybe 50 a person is friendly because they want something from you.
Here's a fun anecdote:
I went to this beach town called Diani south of Mombassa for a day or 2. The place I visited was from a recommendation from a group of Irish missionaries working in Nairobi. I get there, and, of course, there's no one around. There's 4 local guys who work there, but that's about it. 40, 60 rooms - no one. So I go to the beach and I meet some guys who are friendly. They say, "Buy something", I say, "I don't really want any of it." Then they say, "but we are hungry, there's no tourists here because of the violence". So, I feel sorry for them. I feel like helping them out. I take them to a local stand where we eat beans, ugali and chapati. I buy their meals - in total about $10. Then they take me back to their village, they show me different plants and their uses, I buy us some coconut alcohol to drink, they talk about how the government takes village land and then sells it to foreigners to develop. Land that they used to farm and land that they used to live on. They talk about how the Big Fish always eats the Little Fish.
So, by now I'm thinking these guys are pretty cool; they cut me a coconut, we talk about different swahili music artists. I'm trying to think of some way to help these guys out; I ask them about charcoal made from corn cobs - maybe I could do some sort of a start-up here? Maybe I could do a village restaurant - for some tourist - created authenticity - anyways, after about 3 hours they take me to their village tree where they have meetings and tell me that they do these "tours" all the time and foreigners usually give them some money. I'm suprised, but i ask them to tally it up.
They want 3,500 Ksh - that's about $53 for a 3 hour "tour" I thought was me making friends. As we walk back I'm weighing my options. I'm a little paranoid from the "local flavors" they offered me and i'm thinking maybe they'll try to take the money if I don't give it to them. So I go back to the hotel and ask some people what to do; I finally give them 100 Ksh ($1.40) in total. They shame me and say they can't believe it, but I walk away. Then, over the course of the next few days I think to myself - was i being selfish? Did I cheat them? But all I can say is - no, those guys were assholes - they never told me what was involved - that was extortion.
And that's how it's gone.
I met a girl in Mombasa etc. etc. Are we friends? Even if I buy your meals? How do I know?
Money always muddies the waters of friendship.
So, I met this lady last night who has backpacked extensively - although she's only here for a spa-tour, and I asked her, "Why do the Kenyans think it's alright to overcharge me? Why does any "friend" always want something from me? In other places I've dealt with that, but never on this scale." And she had a simple answer - Racism. If they treat you different based on the color of your skin, that's racism. So, what am I to believe. Are they all racists? Is it fair to say that from a positionof privelige?
Here's what I can say, the country is poor, and i think so much of it has to do with their attitude. It's "get as much as I can right now". The government takes land from people so they can get some quick money for a new car or a trip abroad. The people use pity to leverage money out of foreigners pockets. I'm sure people do it to each other as well I just don't know how yet. Here they talk about Umoja - unity and Undugu - Brotherhood, but they act on self-interest, not in the capitalist way where people's diverse activities are co-ordinated by markets to produce surplus for society, no, they work piecemeal, un-coordinated, trying to get what little they can, when they can - bribes, pity, extortion or overcharging - and that's what keeps them poor.
There's the dark, hateful thoughts that have been tumbling around in my brain
When I go out drinking, I like toasting to something very un-P.C. like "Kill all the whales" - it's good for a cheap laugh.
Here goes another:
Here's to disillusionment and racism in Kenya.
7 comments:
Interesting post on a difficult topic. It's such a tough issue. We ran into a good bit of the same in Guatemala, esp. Panajachel, when people flat-out lied (two different lancha pilots, in collaboration) to tell us that there were no more public boats (Q10-20) and we would have to take one of their private ones (Q250). It's upsetting, and in many ways rightly so. Most of us are naturally Kantian in thinking that people (or at least we) should never be treated as only means to an end.
I'm not sure that using the term "racism" is particularly helpful, however. First, it's not immediately clear to me that it accurately describes what happens in these cases; it seems to me that inasmuch as race plays a role, it serves more as a stand-in for economic difference than itself being the crux of the problem. But more importantly, I would hesitate to describe it as "racism" if for no other reason than because it ups the emotional ante. If the overall ultimate goal is greater understanding and, if at all possible, acceptance or even love, then defusing rather than further provoking negative emotions seems like a better strategy - especially given that even as extensive as those kind of interactions may be, they obviously only represent a segment of the population there. I remember talking with my Spanish teacher after the Panajachel incident; she apologized and expressed how much she hates that things like that happen in her country.
I think that part of the emotional content of these interactions stems from the way in which they highlight our vulnerabilities. We are forced to see how very little power we have in unfamiliar territory to make those most basic of judgments: friend or foe, safe or unsafe. And that negative emotion is hard to get rid of. My eventual strategy in Guatemala was to remind myself that in a situation of such stark wealth disparities there would be great temptation to use manipulative and immoral measures, and to not be overly confident that I would choose the moral high ground if I were on the other side of the wealth divide.
More easily said than done, of course. I smarted under the injustice of being lied to for at least the next few days, plotted what I would say the next time I went back if I saw the same guy, etc etc. - and wizened up so as to not be taken advantage of in the same way in the future. Or at least not in exactly the same way.
Love you, and thanks for keeping us updated. Hope the next leg is more enjoyable.
I'm curious about what your looking to learn or gain from this travel/experience. On another note, if you went to Italy or France it'd be the same deal as far as trying to con you out of money. You're so lucky to be doing this, even if it doesn't seem like it right now. Try not to become too much of a misanthrope.
Not the positive experience you hoped for but a rich experience none-the-less. I'll pass your blog on to my fiancee, Lena who lived there and graduated from Nairobi high school. I'm curious about her reaction. Her friends who live there are still in London and don't return until late September. If you're there at that time I'll give you their telephone number.
Good comments from Alicia, especially about the wealth divide. My first thought in reaction to 9/11 was: This might be the first hard shot fired on American soil from the possible coming world war between the haves and the have-nots. I know this doesn't addresss all that led to that fateful day, but I think there is some truth in it - not regarding the attackers themselves but regarding cultures left behind in the dark ages and the corrupt (morally, spiritually, and otherwise) rulers and governments that have not led them to a more productive, beneficial place in the world. As one Middle Easterner commented: We need to be building airplanes, not flying them into buildings.
How long will you be in Kenya and where will you travel from there?
All the very best and thanks for sending your blog. Eddie Reeves
This is Brad Jackson, for some reason Google insists on using my alias.
First off, cool blog name.
As far as racism goes, I think its quite possible that its a perfectly accurate term, and at the same time that Alicia's point about emotions is also correct. For most Americans racism is something of the ultimate crime, the accusation to which there can be no reply, and given our history that's inevitable.
The fact is that Kenya has been systematically screwed by the WTO and IMF (the usual game: give loans dependent on "privatizing", read selling to foreigners, essential services (water, power, phone, etc) which once owned by foreign for profit corporations will hike rates, lower service, and not bother performing maintenance), and that mostly means "by white people". The overt racism was not as bad as what has been found in other places (South Africa, say), but I think its inevitable that there is a degree of resentment towards whites.
Worse, the economy in Kenya is massively broken. Not as bad as in Zimbabwe of course, but broken nevertheless.
Unemployment is around 40%, officially, and that means its higher in reality. Inflation is running between 4%-6% higher than economic growth, which means even the people with jobs are getting poorer. Welfare is all but non-existent, and that leaves begging as the only non-criminal alternative to starvation. It sucks being seen as a money machine rather than a person, but from their POV it makes sense. Anyone who can afford to travel to Kenya is, by definition, better off than they are. Denise ran into that problem when she traveled to India and Guyana.
Seeing white people as money machines probably starts as the product of desperation, and over time becomes habit, which brings us back to racism. It isn't racism in the usual American sense of the word, and like Alicia says it may not be a good idea to use that term because of its emotional baggage, but I can't think of a better term.
Hope you find some equilibrium.
Tim, Here's Lena's reaction to your experience. All the best, Eddie
Eddie
I read it all and feel badly that Tim is seeing the ugly side of people in need. And the people of Kenya have great NEED and great anger seeing the white man constantly coming into their land and getting all the bells and trimmings that go along with the Safari experience and the African mysteries......and then boasting their experiences.
I think the people of Kenya feel foreigners DO NOT understand their hardships and they (the poor Kenyans) are tired of being something just to "look at."
Kenyan people are lazy, do a lot of drugs, carry a chip on their shoulder, and lack of education prevents them from overcoming all this.
I dont think they are "racist" but their hard life and corrupt government leads them to take out their frustrations on the foreigner who has some cash in his pocket.
I still love Kenya. We got to meet many Kenyans from all walks of life, but even in 1970, Kenya was dangerous and very poor and it still is. love, LENA
Tim,
I feel like this was an oddly refreshing reflection... I have just returned from Bangladesh and thoughtsfeelingsexperiences are reeling through my mind.
As a westerner, it seems that no matter where we travel there are two inevitable and conflicting roles we take on. First, we are most certainly exulted. Second, exploited. As you know, and as others have commented on, this is the result of the historical, cultural, political mish mash that we enter into (seek?) when traveling.
I don't know... I sometimes feel it is ok. Sometimes I can be optimistic. Perhaps we deserve to have the tables turned on us once in a while. Perhaps not.
Anyway, I'm glad you are there. Vagabonding. Enjoy it while it lasts and then enjoy what you come home to as well.
Holla! Whats crackin? So...in Kenya, huh? Wowzers. Still there?
I really liked your post. I know youre getting some props and I think they are due. I like how--perhaps this is part of the traveling--you/one get(s) riled up about things like this. I do agree with the observation that these emotions could be partially aproduct of being out of one's element. We aren't always in control and there aren't that many times in our day to day lives at home that we are made to realize that.
In a way, Im tempted to say "stay indignant." But I don't really think that serves any purpose or any good. I'd say it because in thinking about your situ I hit this: if these occasions are rare, and the rest of the impoverished population doesn't treat you as a means, why not judge (react negatively) to the ones who try to take advantage of you. Clearly, though, thats not fair because poverty will lead people to do desperate things, but then are we all just a paycheck away from everyman for himself? I know the answers not that simple, but for the sake of idealism, what say you?
I hate getting taken advantage of, and often times is makes me think fondly of the American system and ideal I so often like to think are a ruse. Surly, a complete endorsement or rejection is not the answer either. My most practical thought is to remain humble in other people's environments and understanding of their situations, but also try to allow yourself to feel in control. Give money when you want to give: people are going to try to get money from you here (in the US) or there (wherever you are), and I wonder if one would feel better about these interactions if you are present and able to give when you feel you are "in control" of your giving, not guilty or trapped (but for god's sake, if your trapped in a dangerous way, abandon all pride). I bet this will help you avoid negative feelings. After all, its every man for himself, right? Jk.
Oh, ps, I liked your Econ Systems/ Institutions commentaries. So apropo for an econ major (clearly Im not a french major). Stay safe man. I'll holler about my gettings up to on a different forum. Much love, alex
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