black faces

I have to return to the black-white relations topic, inspired by the recent outcry over racism in British cricket, as I find this so interesting when considered from the African perspective.

I’m thinking of the case where an old picture has come to light of a white cricketer in blackface, where he was apparently playing homage to the (then) recently deceased black artist, Tupac Shakur.  It reminded me of an incident maybe ten years ago, when an Australian politician got into hot water over a blackface incident, at which time I innocently mentioned the case to a Cameroonian colleague.  To my surprise, he was confused by the incident.  “What’s wrong with that?” he asked.  I tried to explain, but he found it very strange, telling me about a popular Cameroonian comedian of the time who was known for making himself up as a white person, and then acting out doing typically local jobs which would not normally ever be done in Cameroon by a white person.  I recall he gave one example of street vendors.  My colleague asked me if I found that offensive – which of course I didn’t.  Perhaps an example of white privilege (a term which I don’t think existed at that time) as you don’t get easily offended by mickey-taking when you are in the dominant group.

So this time around, I asked a Senegalese friend – an educated and well-travelled Senegalese friend – what he thought about what this cricketer had done.  Like my Cameroonian colleague, he was confused, telling me that he and other Senegalese would consider it an honour if a white person made themselves up (clothing but also make-up) as Senegalese in homage to someone who had died.  I asked how he would feel if it were done in a more light-hearted context, rather than as homage to someone deceased, and he still said that he and other Senegalese would view it as something positive, showing recognition and appreciation of Senegalese/Africans.  Indeed when I walk in the street wearing anything local, such as outfits in African wax fabric, I get appreciative comments from random strangers – it is never seen as cultural appropriation but rather as a mark of appreciation and respect.

I suppose the negative reactions to such things usually start in the US, where the history of black-white relations is so bad that any instance of white folk interacting with the black culture is viewed with suspicion.  Not that black-white relations in Africa have been exactly balanced and fair, but perhaps being on ‘home turf’ makes a difference in some way.  Indeed, it still astonishes me how positively white people and white culture are seen here.  On my way back from Lompoul last weekend, as our minibus drove through some small towns and villages, several people looked up and noticed that there were some white people in the vehicle – “Toubab!” (the local word for white person) one older lady shouted excitedly as she waved to me.  I don’t know that I’ll ever fully understand that reaction, but one thing I do know is that when I eventually return ‘home’ to the UK, I shall have to be careful as to what I say and do in respect of the minefield of black-white interactions.

the 18sqkm desert of Lompoul

I should have flown to Ethiopia last Thursday, to start a trip to the Omo Valley and from there by land into Somaliland.  Sadly the British tour company I was going with have panicked about the situation with the rebels, and announced just a few days before departure that they have cancelled the trip.

So I booked a last minute weekend away in northern Senegal, to visit the sand dunes of Lompoul.  Somewhere I'd previously decided was not worth my time and money, but with fewer tourists here right now, and the trip not too pricey, I thought it would be preferable to sitting at home moping about my missed Ethiopia trip.

It was billed as an 'astronomy weekend', as a professor of astronomy was to accompany the group, with his telescopes and a ready-made presentation - not really a selling point for me but once he had taken us through the presentation and pointed out Venus and Jupiter when the clouds parted, I was getting interested - so was sad that the clouds thickened during the course of the evening and we didn't get to see Jupiter, Saturn and the surface of the moon through his telescope.  Nor did I get to see Venus at 6am the next morning, as the downside of sleeping in desert tents is the lack of anywhere to charge your phone, so the battery went dead some three hours before the alarm was supposed to wake me up.

However, I did get to be very touristy and do a short walk around on a camel, and also walked about in the dunes looking at the various animal tracks and watching dung beetles do their thing.

As with many events in Senegal which attract tourists or foreign residents, the other participants were mostly French - and whilst I can converse quite happily in French with the Senegalese (indeed with any French-speaking Africans), I find the accent of the French themselves very hard to understand.  I still somehow finished this weekend with a few new friends, however, and had some interesting conversations.  This included some discussion of the risk to the ecology of this part of Senegal - and the livelihoods of those who work there in the tourist trade - from the imminent exploitation of the mineral zircon which was discovered there a few years ago (this apparently being the fourth largest known source in the world).  What I hadn't known was that the Minister of Mines who signed the deal with a French company to exploit the deposits (in which just 10% of the benefit comes to Senegal) was none other than our current president!