Let's continue our series on questions, shall we? Having
probed the mysteries of "Why" and "What," we turn our
attention to one of the remaining interrogatory questions--those seemingly
simple words that help us make sense of our world.
Outside of "What?" no other question ought to point
us to some concrete reality like the question "Where?" should. However, with just a little bit of
cross-cultural misunderstanding, you can find yourself lost, seeking a destination
that seems to exist only theoretically.
The problem with "Where?" questions is that while
their answer may refer to a concrete reality or place, responders describe that
place using a startlingly complex mix of cultural values and assumptions about
general competencies. In other words, the place exists in actual fact, but I
direct you to that place using the thoughts and ideas that seem most important
to me, while assuming you have the same skills as I do. If what you value as important in orienting
yourself and your aptitude for detecting those clues are different than mine,
well, then, we have a problem.
Let's take an example from the medical world. We often ask "Where does it
hurt?" Most Westerners value
precision and therefore use language in a way that zeros in on the
location. We also assume that while our
medical caregivers want to help us, they need our assistance. So a Westerner says things like, "The
very tip of my left pinky finger hurts."
A West African, on the other hand, especially when it comes to matters
of the human body, values discretion in what they share, and even their
language uses fairly general terms to refer to large parts of the body. Even when words exist for describing specific
parts of the body, they may use a more general term. Also, they assume that their medical
caregivers are more than competent to detect the problem and offer a remedy, so
they would likely say, "My hand hurts."
You can see how quickly this becomes problematic when you
ask someone of a different culture how
to get to the party happening at Suzy's house, or when your friends encourage
you to meet them at Ousmane's place. The problem becomes all the more complex in
that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
There are marked differences in the way one must navigate through the
city and the way one travels into the bush.
So let's break this down a bit.
Where in the city?
Westerners grow up having maps shoved in their faces from a
very early age. Map reading is even a part
of our standardized competency tests.
While not every Westerner is a good map reader, this trend has indeed
affected the way we perceive our "wheres". We value the precision that a map offers, and
though we've all become less competent with our maps, that thirst for precision
is slacked now more than ever with our GPS devices that tell us, "In 250
yards, turn Right onto Baldwin Avenue."
So, for us, finding a location in a city involves the identification
of a series of landmarks, road names, and other concrete descriptors. I might give directions like this, "Take
I-15 to the 9th street exit. Turn right
off the ramp. At the corner of 9th and
Main, you'll see a big, multi-story, white building--turn left there. Down a couple blocks, you'll see a bright red
house, and just two houses past that, you'll find Suzy's place." I value
those exact directions and assume you do too.
I assume you have the competencies to read the road signs, to count the
number of intersections, to observe the colors of houses and buildings, etc.
A West African maps out their city much as they do the rest
of their lives--on the basis of their social networks. So Ousmane lives just beyond (whatever that
means) Jonas's house. They know Jonas's
house because they went to visit him once, or simply because one time a friend
pointed it out to them. Because Jonas is
somehow relationally significant, forgetting the directions to his house, even
after only one visit, is unthinkable. West
Africans are so relationally-oriented that their memory is honed for these kinds
of details. They assume yours is too,
and often express shock that you don't remember someone's home that you visited
once a couple years ago.
When a city dweller does offer you directions using
landmarks, they are almost always the kind that are socially important, rather
than visually imposing. So it is very
common to be told that when you arrive in a certain place, you will see a small
store. These stores are ubiquitous in
city neighborhoods and are almost all non-descript. However, their social importance makes them a
significant point of reference for a socially and relationally minded
person. Also, they are almost always
gathering points for a group of people, which is helpful in the case of needing
to ask directions.
The lack of precision
in giving directions (i.e. "just beyond Jonas's house.") is
compensated for by the availability of friendly faces in the street who are
always willing to lend a hand. If you
got close to Jonas's house but still were unsure of where Ousmane lived, you
only need to ask one of countless people who is out and about in the
street--perhaps sitting in front of one of the little stores. These people know their neighbors, and unless
you are really, really lost (i.e. far from the right location), they can
usually help you find the right house.
One last word of caution here. Westerners, valuing precision as they do, are
likely to tell you upfront that they do not really know how to get somewhere,
even if they do have a vague idea of how to get there. So when you ask them "Where?" they
might just say, "I'm not good with directions, ask someone else." Or,
"I'm not your man. I think I could probably get myself there, but I really
can't describe it well to you." West Africans on the other hand, really,
really want to please. So operating out
of a very, very vague sense of "where" the place might be, they may
give you an answer that suggests they are more sure than they really are.
So what to do? This
is, after all, the Tip of the Week. Let
me offer you some suggestions:
1. If a Western in your city knows the location, you may
find his/her directions more clear. If
you are headed to the same place for the first time, and they arrive ahead of
you, a call to them might enlighten the last few turns of your trip. In any case, this is cheating and greatly
reduces the adventure. If you can live
with yourself knowing that you cheated, well then, go for it.
2. Take someone with you. A national that knows the location is your
most sure bet. Even if they don't know
the place exactly, they will at least be helpful in asking for directions from
the groups of strangers you find in the street.
You offer the ride; they get you to the destination. A tidy exchange if ever there was one. And if your national friend gets you lost, at
least you've got company for the adventure.
3. Start developing your "social map." You can spend the rest of your life in West
Africa hoping that one day people will start drawing you little maps, but if
you'd like to do something more productive, you are going to need to
adapt. This means remembering where
people live and gather. For a Westerner,
this takes intentional time and practice.
When you see people you know casually, try to remember where they
live. When you drive through a
neighborhood, try to plot out your position in relationship to the homes of
people you know.
4. When you get lost, be sure to turn off the Western
cultural voices of panic. You know, the
ones that say, "Now I'm late, the whole day is ruined." Or, "I'm
lost and in an unknown neighborhood. I'm afraid and something terrible is
probably going to happen. I'll never find my way out of this. I'll probably starve and die." Instead, remind yourself that here no one
really cares if you show up late, especially if you've got the excuse of having
gotten lost. Go ahead and play out the
worst case scenario in your head, just make sure it is realistic to your
context. Here, if you were hopelessly
lost and all alone, someone would probably either: a.) drop everything they
were doing in order to personally escort you back to some location that you
recognize, or b.) take you into their home and feed you, while talking to all
the neighbors to find a solution to your problem. Yes, getting lost here is a terrible thing.
Join us next time as we discuss "Where in the bush
country?"
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for our visiting team that arrives this
weekend. We have quite the week planned
for them. Pray for strength and stamina
for all of us. But more importantly,
pray that the work we do and the relationships we form and encourage would advance
the Kingdom.
2. We've prayed several times for Amadou, the young man that
has a disease that has left him virtually paralyzed. He is at our hospital for treatment now and
will be staying a month or two so that we can really keep an eye on him. Pray for marked progress in his health. Pray also for him spiritually. He has expressed an interest in knowing more
about faith.
3. Pray for a friend of mine who is being forced to marry a
girl that is much too young. He has
tried everything to put a stop to this, but his father doesn't seem to be
deterred. We really need wisdom to know
how to handle this. This friend doesn't
know the Lord, though we've talked quite a bit.
Pray that this crisis would also open his heart to the Lord.
4. Continue to pray for the young believers in the villages
of Tarasso and Kougnou (where we did outreaches in the month of January). We are working on getting them discipled, but
the lack of mature Christians in either of these villages presents challenges.
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