Living here, in this bubble called Orange County, going to Santa
Ana for Service Learning makes us feel alien from the world we live in-and
that's twenty minutes away. We go to their school and learn about their lives
and the struggles and differences they have, which most of us a fortunate
enough to not understand fully.
Then take that
alien feeling, and apply it from instead of 20 miles away, to 9,000 miles away.
Sure, there are places like Orange County in Europe, some in Asia, maybe a few
in South Africa, but when you go into the heart and soul of Africa, into
Umuofia, it really is a different world.
When Obierika and
Okonkwo are speaking of a white-man, or caucasian, they speak in shock and
disbelief. To them, a white man was like seeing a fifty pound yam, minus the
glory of the yam. Basically, it was incredible, whether they liked it or
not.
"We
have heard stories about white men who made the powerful guns and the strong
drinks and took slaves away across the seas, but no one thought the stories
were true" (Achebe 140-141). To them, the idea of there being a different
kind of people on its own was radical, let alone comprehending the extreme differences we have.
Yam isn't our currency like it is for them. Winning wrestling matches doesn't make you famous (unless you're Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather or whatever). The differences are so amazingly significant. And yet, they know almost nothing about it.
Amazes me.
This is an interesting video I found. It is a documentary on the village life in Africa today.
Milad this was really cool to compare your experience with Orange County's isolation and interaction with our "outside world" to Umofia and the White men. It's strange how so many similar themes can play out all over the world. Really thought-proviking post!
ReplyDelete