As I continue my time here in Katibunga I learn more and
more each day about the people and the culture that make up this area of the
world. Two aspects that I mentioned in past posts were about the African school
system and village chiefs and this week I learned about the people’s belief in
witchcraft. I would like to touch on each and clarify a few things now that I
have a better understanding of each one.
The African school systems are varied. Unlike the United
States where each state’s school system is very similar, the African countries
each have their own way of going about things. For instance, in Zambia a
passing grade is from around 30% and up. In Tanzania it is closer to 20% and
up. I remember getting an 85% in high school and being upset. As you can see, the
grading scale is very different and much more relaxed here.
Furthermore, the Zambia system is based on a pass – credit –
fail system. The Tanzanian system mirrors the United States with a letter-grade
system (A, B, C, D, and F). In Zambia, this means that you either 1) receive a
passing percentage, 2) a percentage that will give you credit, but is not very
good, or 3) a failing percentage. A system such as this one makes failing
difficult considering the passing percentage is extremely low making it easy to
achieve. The problem is that many students end up moving on without the proper
knowledge. Then, when they enter secondary school they are ill-prepared and are
unable to excel.
In Tanzania they have a letter-grade system, but have even a
lower passing percentage. In the U.S. a 70%-80% is considered a C which is
known as ‘average’. This is not the case in Tanzania. Receiving a C means you
most likely received a 40%. What is interesting is that students don’t even
have to know half the material and they will still pass with a reasonable
grade. This doesn’t mean that some kids don’t do well; however, this does mean
that the kids who have missed multiple weeks of my class will still have a good
chance of passing.
Additionally, language is a problem in countries such as
these. In Zambia, the local language (there are 73 languages in Zambia) is
taught from a very young age. Then, in 2nd grade English is
introduced. This is positive considering English is becoming the universal
language and that learning a language is best done at a young age. In Tanzania
there are even more local languages – 120. Some are only spoken languages
meaning that there is no written translation which makes communication even
more difficult. In addition, Tanzania does not teach English. The students are
taught Swahili which is a very popular language in East Africa (Somalia, Kenya,
Tanzania…)
Countries such as Tanzania and Zambia are rivaled by
countries with better education systems such as Uganda and Kenya. It’s no
surprise, then, that Tanzania and Zambia are two of the poorest and undeveloped
countries on earth. In fact, I just figured out that instead of $1 equaling 11
kwacha (currently) it actually equals 11,000 kwacha. This is how devalued the
currency is in this area. They drop the three zeros to make buying and selling
easier. The Tanzanian Shilling is similar.
With a poor education many different ideas and beliefs are
thought to be real and feared. One is the belief in witchcraft. Many people
fear witches and believe that some have the power to control others. This is
such a strong belief that people who claim to be “witch doctors” advertise
themselves in the newspaper. What happened in the Salem Witch Trials long ago
is happening here. People who are accused of being witches are usually isolated
and cast out of the community or killed.
Tricks are used to condemn people. They may ask a group of
four people who are believed to be witches to shake a bottle of water. If the
water turns to blood then this means they are a witch. What’s really happening
is that one bottle has a red powder inside the cap. When shaken, the water
mixes with the powder and turns red. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with
an uneducated group of people these types of tricks work and create great fear.
To us, this seems bizarre. However, think about how impressionable and
believing a group of 8 year olds is. If you were to do this same trick to them
they probably would be blown away. Now you know why witchcraft is a popular
belief here and that education is extremely important.
Now, to clarify a bit about the
village chiefs and their responsibilities. Considering many villages make up
Zambia and much of Africa, chiefs are put in place to run them. There are many
villages in the area I live. A few of them are called Machaleta, Mwila,
Kashite, Katibunga, Mukongole and many more. Mukongole is where the chief
resides. The chief has power over many villages including the ones I mentioned.
The chief then appoints a ‘headman’ in each village. I mentioned this before in
an earlier post. The headman is like the mayor of the village. The chief, in a
sense, is like the governor.
Chiefs have lots of power.
Politicians and other leaders must consult with them before making any
decisions that may affect their land. In fact, the bishop that helps run the
diocese of Mpika and, therefore, Katibunga Monastery must report to the chief
rather than the monastery itself.
It’s a good life when you’re the chief.
So, I hope that helps you understand a bit more about some
of the major pieces of society here in Zambia.
As for me, I have begun to look into jobs for the month of
December. I think I will focus my time on helping with farming considering its
planting season. Father Pacificus is beginning to plant some vegetables as well
as banana trees. I am sure I would be able to help there. Also, Br. Cyprian
runs the farming for the monastery and he said I could help out. Finally, some
of my students will be spending their time off from school farming their own
land. I know I could help them out. I think that would actually be quite fun
because I have grown close to many of them. Additionally, I would be able to
meet and get to know their families and learn more about the way they live
which is what I am most interested in.
When it comes to farming or manual labor it can be hard to
find work because the monastery sees me as a guest and the villagers see me as
an educated man. What I mean is that the monastery highly respects their guests
(this is why I am seated next to the superior at each meal) and wouldn’t want
to give me a job I may dislike. In fact, I offered to clean Prior Nzota’s
office in order to organize it a bit and he told me that a guest shouldn’t have
to do something like that.
Furthermore, I am educated so rather than work jobs like
farming the villagers think I should be teaching or doing something else. Of
course, I tell them I am able to do both and so hopefully I can begin to work
in the fields too.
I finally had some agree to allow me to help and they all
respond the same way. They say “I appreciate, I appreciate appreciate!” meaning
that they are greatly appreciative for my help. It’s funny and nice.
As I mentioned last time, bananas are back at each meal. I
am not sure if my taste buds are shot or if I’m just really weird, but I have
learned that mixing rice and bananas is delicious. It’s really good. It’s also
a safe bet when there isn’t much to eat or if you don’t know exactly what you
are eating ha.
Additionally, every once in a while we will have juice at
our meals. Pineapple and orange juice is most popular. This juice is labeled
“high juice” to signify its high concentration of sugar. If you were to drink
it straight it would be too much to handle. This is why we mix it with water.
Even when mixed with water it can almost be too sweet. I am guessing this is
because it’s been so long since I have eaten anything super sweet. It’s nice to
have, though.
Finally, I tend to use the phrase “Sounds good” quite a bit.
This is super common in the U.S. but is unknown here in Africa. Whenever I say
it, which is often, they will laugh and try to mimic the phrase with an American
accent. I am beginning to think they are just jealous of my accent haha J
The rainy season is beginning to show itself more and more.
When you are dependent on the weather for so much it becomes hard choosing your
favorite kind. When it is sunny it is easy to exercise, do laundry and the
water for bathing is somewhat warm, however it’s hot as all Hell inside and
out. When it rains it cools everything down which is super nice, but then it
becomes muddy and hard to do laundry. So, you are in a constant fight between
rain and shine. Overall, I don’t mind the rain that much. I like cooler
weather.
Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America. Not many know
what that is here so I hope you all enjoy and are able to eat a little more for
me. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for reading!
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