Speechless in Nairobi
"Well, when they see a black person in Canada, do they not run after them and shout out 'African!'?"
Speechless. If there is a word that describes my sentiments since I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, "speechless" would be it. I have experienced more in the past few weeks in Kenya than I ever would in my ordinary university life in Canada.
Before I came here, I listened to endless "horror stories" about Africa and Nairobi - be it sanitary conditions, security, or cultural differences. I embarked on my journey expecting nothing, except the unexpected. However, not being easily surprised definitely does not equate with indifference. It simply means I view the events around me with mild amusement, perhaps even due to over-suppression of my original emotions.
I work in the slum of Mathare in Nairobi. It is allegedly the third largest slum in Africa, as more than half a million people live there. It is difficult to describe the slums; one must experience them in person. However, I can start with the overwhelming scent. I think the smell of the slums is a perfume-maker's nightmare - a blend of garbage and human sweat and excrements. There is a small bridge over a stream of black water contaminated with feces, with mountains of garbage, and people brewing alcohol in giant, rusted tin cans. There are no houses, only shelters made of panels of tin. Families of five or more live in small, cramped spaces. How small? Imagine your elementary school classrooms, and quarter that land. Forget toilets and plumbing facilities, people do their businesses wherever, which is part of the reason the water is so contaminated. I saw a man buy a sliver of toothpaste for two shillings, the equivalent of three cents. The slum is endless in sight, leaving the most idealistic and hopeful individual with a lingering taste of garbage, poverty, and cruel reality.
Which leaves one to wonder "what can I do to make a difference?"
In contrast to the poverty in the slums, is the bustling town centre of Nairobi. International, high-end hotels such as Hilton and the Stanley - which charges 1,000 shillings for a hour of Internet use, while the cyber café across the street charges 1 shilling per minute. Business professionals in suits hurry down streets cramped with people, cars, and privately-owned vans serving as buses called matatus. The traffic is constantly insane, arguably so are the matatus drivers that swerve between lanes of opposing traffic in an attempt to get ahead. "Hawkers" populate the sides of the streets as they sell goods on their blankets. They also stir up mini-riots periodically as they throw stones as the police who try to chase them away, who in turn throw tear-gas bombs.
Regardless of slum or city centre, though, one thing is common. Wherever I go, I encounter shouts of "mzungu!" or "chong chong ching chong," due to my lighter skin and my Asian appearance. I still chuckle in amusement whenever someone shouts out these words to me, because I am not sure how I should respond - should I break into song and dance? I think I am starting to understand how visible minorities feel. People almost always automatically treat me differently, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. For example, while all Kenyans have to pass through security checks at the Hilton, I go with no questions asked; because of my skin colour. At the same time, the "hawkers" will always try to rip me off, and the children will always stare in shock at me; because of my skin colour. At one point, another Dutch intern and I jokingly remarked, "Clearly, we do not deserve names! We are merely mzungus." The director of the organization we work for then replied with the quote at the beginning of this post.
All of this said, I must stress that Nairobi is a beautiful city. It is undergoing a period of rapid development, and like most cities going through the same process, it experiences side effects such as polluted streets, occasional chaos, and disparity between rich and poor. However, in the midst of change, there is always progress and hope. There are people working on ensuring environmental sustainability while maintaining economic growth; educating the public on sexual and reproductive health; and teaching the concept and skills of entrepreneurship to empower youths to step out of the slums. These are only some of the projects I have encountered in my brief stay here.
I am happy to say that while I did feel despair and shock, my speechlessness has turned into a shrug with the lovely French phrase, "C'est la vie." This is the reality. Accept it, and make it better.
Tagged with
poverty,
slums,
nairobi,
kenya,
mzungu,
development,
canada,
rich,
contrast,
africa
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RAKSHA VASUDEVAN 
HELEN HSU 
