Which has gotten me thinking about the images and cultural baggage that come with the "Christmas season". We certainly have plenty of it in our own country, some good, some not so good... time with family and friends, charitable giving, singing on the one hand... excessive spending, excessive eating, seasonal depression on the other. Our iconic images of Christmas come from elsewhere -- New England snow, German cooking, English carolers -- and may not reflect the way people or nature look where we live. I have never ridden a sleigh or needed a woolly hat on December 25. Sometimes we barely needed long sleeves.
When I moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 2004, it was even more striking to see how these images of Christmas were imported there. Billboards of Santa Claus drinking Coke in a winter wonderland. The mechanical Santa (made in China) outside Nakumatt supermarket who danced to such Christmas classics as "Yellow Rose of Texas". A "Santa's Grotto"... complete with fake snow... at an upscale mall. Christmas means snow, luxury, extravagant food and gifts. Unlike most of Africa, there are actually Kenyans in Nairobi who can afford to "do" Christmas this (expensive, foreign) way. But for most, it is way beyond their reach. An article in the Daily Nation a few years ago declared that "Christmas is for the rich"... at least that is how it seems to many.
This is not to say that Kenyan Christians do not celebrate Jesus' birth - they certainly do! But the cultural, Western "Christmas" is shoved in your face everywhere, and available to very few.
So it was rather gratifying to see that Christmas is much less commercial in Bunia. Some merchants sold plastic trees and ornaments, and churches were decorated with shiny lanterns and tinsel. But, according to friends, the main activity surrounding Christmas (and New Year's) is going to church and getting together for a big meal with family and friends. Not shopping, not snow. When we asked one friend about Christmas when he was growing up, he remembered people traveling to be near the large churches that would have the good preaching and services.
This was our first Congolese Christmas, and admittedly, we it included a lot of traditions from our home culture. On Christmas Eve, we went to a party for English-speakers given by a Congolese pastor, and later to a carol sing (also in English). Christmas morning, I made sweet rolls, using Douglas' Mom's recipe - a tradition we've had for a few years now. We played carols on the stereo and opened fun gifts sent by family, and gifts to each other (including Douglas' first Congolese shirt, below).
In the afternoon, British, American, Congolese and German friends came for Christmas dinner, featuring pot roast, pork, manioc leaves, sweet potatoes and mince pies. Later, we gathered again at our friends' house to join their Christmas night tradition -- opening gifts together, drinking tea, eating (more) mince pies and Christmas cake, and playing Uno.
Jennings - thanks so much - rich memories are brought forth by reading all the blogs one after the other this morning (when I realized you had a blog from your newsletter). On "Muzungu" - I was horribly teased in school growing up and the shouting and pointing of Muzungu (or the Lingala equivalent which I'm not remembering right now - thankfully!) re-awakened those awful feelings of not fitting in. With my maiden name I was often called Dunkin' Donuts. Even having grown up already, I was very relieved when I met as an adult for the first time a cousin - who was amazingly succesful in business and had been a model earlier in life - and she spoke of being called Dunkin' Donuts as a child. Your "Muzungu" experience reminds me that when the children in Impfondo followed me around pointing and yelling - it was not about me. Some times in Africa I was very glad to be an American - my odd quirks that would stand out here in the U.S. as odd got totally overwhelmed simply by the cultural difference of being American. Other times, not so much - I adored my African church where they completely ignored how white I was. Made it possible for Africa to be home.
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting, Deb...! I was teased a lot growing up, too, and I'll bet that is part of why I react so strongly to the pointing and yelling. Hadn't thought about that! I've heard from Americans who've worked in other parts of the world, and it seems to be a phenomenon everywhere. Can't really think of an equivalent in our culture that isn't mean-spirited... maybe that's another problem for me in understanding.
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