Carry Luggage On Your Head

[Martin Hash]

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African culture is often lumped into the stereotype of “black” people, and I’ve resisted that urge because that’s like lumping Western Europeans together as “white” people, but… After experiencing the culture shock of Africa over an extended period, I now find the color distinction to be apt. Why? Because in America, if you look on any busy street you will see Asians, Latinos, Arabs, African Americans, Occidentals – all mixed together in more-or-less homogeneous styles, language, noise tolerance, personal space requirements, courtesy, and hygiene – none of which would survive a working market in Ghana where the only color is “black.”

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I’ve experienced enough of Africa to recognize that their culture is also utterly foreign to our own. This situation plays into the sophistry of social apologists who deride Western efforts to lift the “Third World” into what we consider the modern age. These self-righteous accusers often publicly claim that it is immoral, unethical, and the height of hubris to apply Western standards to Africa. These people may be right, because I noticed that it’s easier to put a goat into a sack when you’re putting it on the roof of the bus. It’s easier to keep a couple dozen chickens in a tray under a stretchy net. It’s easier to drive on the sidewalk then to wait in traffic. It’s easier to bribe an official than to follow the law. It’s easier to throw household garbage away along the side of the road. It’s easier to urinate against the wall, even if it is painted with a “do not urinate on wall” sign… And even though a suitcase has various handles, straps, wheels, and an extendable pull – when you’ve got a baby on your back and a child in each hand, it’s simply easier to carry luggage on your head.