This morning we had a really deep discussion deconstructing colonialism and what that might mean for our year here in Rwanda. Rwanda is a really fascinating country in Africa to dig into because just about every cultural aspect is derived from a culture that is not their own. The clothes they have were brought over from Germany, their food comes from Tanzania, Uganda, India and the like, even our Kitenge fabric, a very traditional Rwandan fashion, comes from somewhere around southeast Asia.
These are all ghosts of colonialism, but not to be overlooked is the way we, as white people, are perceived in Rwanda as a whole. White people are perceived as the people with knowledge, power, wealth. The intimidation, and reverie almost, comes from years of oppression. To white visitors, the people have essentially become overly hospitable (already in a hospitable culture) to the point of it becoming uncomfortable.
This is not necessarily conducive to the 7 of us, as we battle the white savior complex head on. This year is about living as the people live, trying to experience what they experience, as much as we can. This conversation led us to discuss what it means to feel faithful betrayal. To understand that what we have been taught through school about these topics is never the full truth, that it’s alright to feel betrayed by our educators, our families, and even ourselves. It’s also okay that others feel betrayed by me that I’m addressing these things as issues. Above all, it’s alright to acknowledge that we have failed in the past because failure is going to be a big part of our year as well as a big part of our lives.
The main question that I am left with and encourage everyone else to wonder is what we are going to do to fight this within ourselves and within our community. Where do we go from here?