Chipata - tomorrow we are heading to the border of Malawi.

3.3.2020

On the way here we came across the Tiko Community village.
I felt relieved to see the efforts taken to establish a community where locals are empowered to create a sustainable life for themselves and their community.
Decisions are made in a democratically manner - reminding me of the Sudbury School
Though the founder and director Elke Kroeger- Radcliffe is from Europe, managing and holding together this establishment for over 20 years, the locals are running the place in the foreground. A restaurant, a lodge, two schools and various activities and workshops. Here is the scoop:

http://www.tikondane.org/

It is so inspiring to be part of a project like that instead of resenting the locals begging, searching us and our bikes with their eyes (and sometimes hands) to see if there is something they can get from us.
In a negative way, it feels very racist to me - I am white, there for I am....rich, superior ..so on and so forth...
It is difficult not to get upset with the constant screaming of Mzungu, mzungu,mzungu....
howareyouhowareyouhowareyouhowareyouhowareyouhowareyou
...it just never stops and we feel like cycling faster while they are running out of the bushes, the huts, even the schools towards us...away from the noise, away from the mob, I feel the urge to escape as fast as I can (not so easy on an uphill...)
Instead a few times I slowed down, let them catch me and while I kept my annoyance in check, I looked each of them - as many as I could- in the eye and calmly replied: howareyouhowareyouhowareyouhowareyouhowareyouhowareyou
They stopped and looked and stared and didn’t know what to do or say. I got them to shut up and that made me laugh (out of relieve or pure astonishment...I am not sure..) out loud - I was tickled pink! A bit of a victory to get over myself. Not that I have the illusion my reaction will change their behavior, but it just felt so good, that moment of difference.
The call Mzungu has this explanation in Wiki:
Literally translated mzungu meant "someone who roams around" or "wanderer."The term was first used in the African Great Lakes region to describe European explorers in the 18th century, apparently because they moved around aimlessly. The word mzungu comes from Kiswahili, where zungu or zunguka is the word for spinning around on the same spot. Kizunguzungu is Kiswahili for dizziness.The term is now used to refer to "someone with white skin" or "white skin", but can be used to refer to all foreigners more generally. The word mzungu in Swahili can also mean someone who speaks English.

Dervla Murphy on the subject:
These constant demands on the mzungu become wearing, even irritating, at the end of a long hot day. They betray both a worrying dependency on the revered yet resented West and a total incomprehension of Western realities. (Our incomprehension of African realities is no less extreme but doesn’t matter - to us). Unawareness of how the White half lives is illustrated daily by the letter writing (in this time and age it is email, or WhatsApp messages) obsession: “Give me your address, here is my address, we will write letters when you go home” That seems to be a pathetically important fantasy and feebly by one goes along with it instead of saying, “I write Books (journals), I don’t have time to write to my closest friends never mind to acquaintances all over the world”
Demands for sponsorship (on behalf of sons or brothers, never daughters or sisters) are easier to deal with bluntly: “I am an ordinary citizen, not rich, not representing an Organisation, not able to sponsor anyone”.
Such bluntness can draw reproving stares or sullen muttering - because of course I’m rich, otherwise I couldn’t be traveling trough Africa, even by bicycle. And see how different and expensive-looking that bicycle is! An African touring Europe for month would have to be either personally rich or sufficiently well- connected to help others if he or she wishes to help.....