Tip of the Week-- March 17th

Lately, my Tips of the Week have been dealing with the interrogatory questions--the questions we ask in order to understand our situations and surroundings.  Since I just said, "lately" and it has been a good two weeks since you've heard anything from me, perhaps you think I'm tackling "when?" this week, in order to talk to you about a more relaxed perception of time.  Well, not this week, but soon. ;-)

This week, let's take a look at the question, "How?" and its implications for our lives in West Africa.  

Now, even thinking that I could do justice to this subject in one post is a fool's errand, rather like saying, "Here, let me take this iceberg, blend it, and make you a smoothie." (Besides, the salt water probably leaves a less-than-desirable after taste.)  The experts would produce quite a horror film in explaining this, busting out words like fatalism (a real killer that one), locus of control (ahhh, the swarming hoards of voracious insects), and blame attribution (just for the intrigue), but let's keep this PG, shall we?

When we ask "how?", we are looking at causal relationships.  We are really asking, "What sequence of events and what intervening factors worked together to produce this result?"  Few, if any, areas of cultural difference produce as much confusion and misunderstanding as the difference in what cultures think "counts" in causal relationships. 

If I were to sum up the Western feelings on causation, I'd use the phrase, "Just the facts, ma'am." We, somewhat arrogantly, like to believe that we've got our world figured out, boiling everything down to some combination of understood scientific phenomena. (Ok, very arrogantly.  Remember that we trace our mental lineage back to a period of time we like to call "The Enlightenment" as if we had just emerged from the fog and reached the zenith of humanity.)  

If you ask a Westerner, "How did this happen?", they will typically respond, "Well, let me start at the beginning."  They will precede to recount the facts and events starting with those most distant in time and work towards the present--each event adding to another, each causative agent changing the others in neat, tidy sequence.  By preference, Westerners will name only observable factors (I saw it, tasted it, touched it, smelled it, or heard it) in this chain of events. 

West Africans, by contrast, will explain how something happened in a much different way.  Causation is much more of a whirlwind, with human actions and non-human interventions all swirling together to bring about the result. In this circling mix, the starting point is less clear, and so a tidy chain of events is unlikely. 

So how does this play out?  Well, it is hard to give an example without falling into inaccurate stereotypes, because Westerners are never as coldly-logical as they pretend to be, and West Africans are as diverse a lot as any.  Let me instead offer you some tips for the next time you ask your West African friend, "How did this happen?"

1. Start where the action is.  Do you remember in sophomore English class learning the phrase "in medias res?"  That's when a story starts in the middle of the action and then later returns to catch up on all the details.  When you've asked "how?", the answer you receive will likely start "in medias res".  Remember the starting point of causation is less clear in an W. African mindset, so your friend is starting the story much closer to the action than you would have.

I once asked a friend how he got a series of scars on his arm.  He started by telling me that they were marks from the burning end of a millet stalk.  Only much later, after I had plenty of time to imagine him suffering abuse at the hands of some malevolent adult, did he circle back around to tell me about how he and his cousin were playing a game, seeing how brave they could be while, in effect, branding one another.

2. You may understand and still be confused.  One of the hardest parts of bridging the gap in understanding is that you are doing so through a second or third language.  So sometimes, you are tempted to blame your language skills for your confusion, when in reality, it is the thinking behind the explanation that is preventing understanding.  I call this, "I understand your words, but not your sentence."  In other words, I actually understand what is being said, but I can't make it fit with the larger whole.  This is typically due to the difference in worldview--a difference in opinion on "what counts" when it comes to causation.

I was in a village recently with a bunch of pastors who were discussing how a local cult leader became so popular.  They kept talking about how he would take people up into an airplane and do circles over the village and the surrounding area.  I was so terribly confused, as one never sees airplanes here, especially not in the village.  Just about the time I really began to think I was going nuts, or at very least, losing all my language abilities, someone had pity on me and said, "This isn't an airplane like any you've ever see."  Apparently, it is one created by sorcery, which creates out-of-body experiences for a group of people (up to 210 at a time, to be precise).  

3. You will be gotten by grammar every time.  Active voice is used more often than not by Westerners, whereas passive voice is preferred here.  It is to be remembered that the actor or causative agent is often left out in passive voice.  It is permitted, in the local language, to transform almost all verbs into the passive voice, leaving lots of ambiguity as to "how" something happened.

You can see how confusing the passive voice can be.  So when you ask a question, for example, about how someone came to be ill, be prepared for a lot of passive voice comments.  By not having to name the author or causative agent, the patient avoids having to identify just one of the many factors he sees at work in his illness, and more importantly he avoids assigning blame.

4. Don't play the blame games.  When something goes wrong, Westerners love to point the finger at the mistakes made or the people who screwed up.  While West Africans are quite capable of blaming others, in order to keep peace they typically choose language that avoids blame, making appeal to forces that are outside of human control.

For example, if you loan something to someone and it breaks, responses will often be different.  Westerners will often, but not always, say, "Dude, I'm sorry. I broke your thing." West Africans will often say, "Your thing broke." (Passive voice strikes again!)  Now, in both instances, it is possible that the item was used correctly and just broke by chance, or it might be that the item was mishandled and broke as a consequence.  My advice, don't play the blame game.  If you get mired down in trying to pin blame on to someone or some act, you risk serious damage to relationships.  Learning from mistakes is great, but it is much better down in a non-threatening environment.

Prayer Requests

1. Thank you for praying for recent outreaches in Sanguela, Peguena, and Kokosso.  This has been a busy season, but we've been blessed to see the Lord at work.  Pray that church leaders would be able to do quality follow-up in these villages--connecting with seekers, encouraging and teaching new believers, etc.

2. Due to a medical conference during the first two weeks of April, my time before home assignment is very limited.  I have much to do before heading home.  Please pray that I would be efficient and wise in my use of this time.

3. As is my tradition, I'll have an Easter outreach for several friends.  Please pray that those in attendance would be encouraged once again to consider the claims of Christ.

4. Praise the Lord that Amadou, the young man with an auto-immune disease that has left him virtually paralyzed, is really gaining strength.  We have a rehab program set up for him, and he is making great strides.  Even better, he has recently decided to follow Jesus.  Please pray that he would be completely healed.  Pray that he would grow deep roots of faith.