African Childhood

Chicati (what's up?)! I'll begin with a few quick notes for the busy folks to read. If you've got a lot of time on your hands, you can also read the longer post below... but if you have time for that you should probably find a hobby...

I'm in the second week of classes, and they've been excellent so far. I'm reading some Ugandan poetry (Okot p'Bitek), exploring general principles of religious studies, and talking about the difficulties of developing a genuine African Christianity.

I've been sweating a lot, drinking a lot of instant coffee, and spending a lot of time rubbing dust out of my eyes.

I'll be starting some kind of practicum soon, but the details are sketchy. I'll update you more as I go.

Sounds I've heard lately: my mom makes necklaces for an organization that sells African jewelry in American churches, and so I've been helping to make the beads on a regular basis. I was noticing yesterday that when my conversations with my brothers fade into silence, I can hear the crackling of the paper being rolled punctured by the pressure being released from the bean pot on the stove.

The Long Part:

In almost every psychology class I've taken, the textbooks have begun with the caveat that "most psychology studies have been performed using American or European subjects and thus the results may not be generalizable to all people groups." Being in Uganda I've lately been wondering what aspects of what I've learned are actually common to humanity.

This is Esther, my little sister. She's 8 years old and will likely be returning to boarding school at the end of this month (which is really a shame...). I've worked with a lot of 8 year-olds in my life, but have never met one as obedient and well-mannered who was able to retain a sense of humor and humility about her good behavior as Esther. She really blows me away.

In developmental psychology we talk about different stages through which children commonly progress with regard to their cognitive, moral, and social development. Kids around Esther's age are usually understood as fairly egocentric, mostly following rules so that they can get what they want. Not Esther.

I have also encountered some interesting familial interactions. When Dad returned home from a week of traveling, he made his way into the house and plopped down on the easy chair. Although I don't know much Luganda, I heard him call Esther over and saw him extend his tired legs. I watched with some disgust as Esther pulled his shoes off as he stared emotionlessly at the wall. No thanks were given.

I later expressed my distaste at this interaction (and the general male-dominance I have encountered so far... but more on this later, I'm sure) to my fellow American students. One of the program interns, a Ugandan named Jones (who told me to say hello to MaryBeth and Lisa), noted that he still removes his father's shoes out of respect.

I was caught off-guard with this; Jones is a kind, thoughtful Ugandan with what seems like a good understanding of Western culture. The idea of Jones, a twentysomething, removing his father's shoes struck me as affectionate and respectful rather than submissive. I probed him about the interaction and he told me that many Ugandan parents expect much of their children without expressing outward appreciation (no "thank you" or even a smile). He said they do this because they do not want their children to become proud.

Treading carefully, I told him that this made more sense but still struck me as sad. In America, a kid who has never been told "I love you" or "I'm proud of you" by her or his parents is pitied. Much of my developmental psychology studies in the past 3 semesters have focused on parental attachment (specifically, on warm & expectant parenting) and its importance for children's relationships later in life. And now I come to hear that possibly the majority of Ugandan children do not experience "warmth" in their parental relationships...

There's a lot I don't know. I can't say for sure that these occurrences are entirely cultural (they may mostly be characteristic to the Wandera family), and I can't even begin to hypothesize how the majority of Ugandan children's relationships turn out later in life. But I am beginning to see the cultural limits of my current knowledge, and for that I am thankful.