This morning I went shopping at the local market, which runs every Tuesday and Friday and is literally 300 feet from my house. I was looking at metal hangers for my dress shirts. Like anything and everything at the market you should barter or else you'll end up paying way too much. I tried to barter for five hangers. I started at 200 francs (about 30 cents), but they refused to go any lower than 500 francs (just under a dollar), which was their starting price. I tried several stands and each time I was baffled because they wouldn't budge. I knew that I was being ripped off because I am a white foreigner, and apparently skin color determines economic status. One lady was even blunt enough to say, "you are rich; you can afford it." I can't tell if I am annoyed because of the stereotype or because it's is true.
There are many things I am loving about the culture here, but this stereotype that all whites seemingly have an infinite supply of money at their disposal is not one of them. I walk down the road and little boys stick out their hands and demand "amafaranga!" ("money" in kinyarwanda). Teenagers and even adults stare at me for literally minutes on end as if dollar signs are hovering over my head. Countless people want to be your friend and they will tell you there stories of how they cannot go to school because they do not have any money and are looking for a sponsor. I realize this comes with the territory of being a volunteer from a country whose GNI is $41,400 in a country whose GNI is $220 (2004 figures, per person). But, it can be difficult sometimes to build friendships because it's hard to distinguish those who genuinely want to know me from those who are more interested in my stereotype. I must remember that not all Africans, not all Rwandans, label me and judge me by the color of my skin. Many have a genuine interest in my work here, my life, and me as a person; it would unfair, afterall, for me to cling to my own stereotypes of them.
On a deeper note, if I'm here to promote global understanding and mutual respect between cultures, then what should my reaction be to this stereotype and how should I represent Americans in my conversations with people? I guess the question I am getting at is, "Am I really rich?" When i am talking to people here about American finances I try to explain that there actually are people who struggle to get by in America and that 10% of the population do not have jobs and that I myself am not a wealthy person, but live a regular middle class life, according to American standards. Obviously the middle class in America has much more financial opportunity than the middle class in Rwanda, and obviously the income is greater, but the cost of living is much higher too. So, I am back to the question of how does one define "rich?" Maybe the best way is not by absolute income, but by purchasing power, or the opportunity to purchase "stuff." I don't know but I would be open to suggestions, thoughts, and advice. Thanks for reading my little vent here and for thinking about the issue with me.
P.S. I finally got 4 hangers for 300 francs.
2 comments:
yeah, purchasing power is how it's done for the most part in macro...but maybe not the easiest concept to explain to someone on the street.
Purchasing power is the way to go... I know how you must feel about wanting to help. When a "homeless" person asks me for money on the street, I used to always give it. Now I am older and more mature, I recognize that that often times is the worst thing you can do, but it still makes me feel bad. Not only do I feel bad for rejecting their request for money, but simply because I am better off than they.
I guess what we should do is what we can do, whether that is giving money to organizations, time to charities, or helping people you know personally.
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