Sirumbu...

In Rukwangali, Sirumbu is the word for "White Person" it is my "tribe". When you learn about Namibia, one of the first things we talk about are the different tribes, there are very many in Namibia, over 7 in the Kavango Region alone. My tribe, is white.

Before I joined Peace Corps I knew, mostly based on logic but also through communications with Peace Corps that my skin color would make me noticeable anywhere in the world, as a foreigner. When I got placed in Namibia I knew that my skin color would just be a part of my service. Namibia, as I have written about in earlier posts, is a post apartheid country. Apartheid is a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race. Although apartheid came from South Africa, until 1990 Namibia was South West Africa, before this it was colonized by the Germans, for Namibia Apartheid was also the system. There have been white people in Namibia for a very long time, but thanks to Apartheid the relationship between Black Africans and white people, whether African of European has not always been pleasant, and some of these tensions still exist, simply because Namibia is such a young country with apartheid being a recent history.

Examples of apartheid in Namibia are still seen daily. Many white Africans are part of a higher wealth class, which contributes to Namibia having the highest wealth inequality in the world. Whites tend to live in the capital city of Windhoek or they own large farms in the south of the country. Many were not raised with black friends in their schools or communities so friendships between white and black Namibians are not very common. Black people were only allowed to buy homes in certain areas, these are called "locations". Every city, town and most villages have a location. This was the only area that black people could live before independence, and they tend to be more run down areas, with perceived high crime rates.

In the Kavango Region you wont see many white people. There are people from the Colored or Baster tribes, they are Afrikaans speaking but do not identify as White, and they are very few. This makes me and other Peace Corps Volunteers stand out even more. People notice me everywhere especially because I walk everywhere, which most white people don't do, I hang out with Black Namibians, which most white people don't do, and I am learning the local language which, again, most white people don't do.

I get a lot of positive attention because of my appearance, and a lot of unwanted attention. Children love yelling "hello" at me, to which I respond "hello, how are you" and they say very quickly and shyly "fine". When I great an elderly person by saying "morokeni None" they get very excited that I am speaking to them, and they spend the next few minutes speaking to me in Rukwangali... until they learn that my vocabulary is very small... then they laugh and continue walking. Many of the youth know me so I am always being greeted on my walks home or when I am in town, and many business people are starting to get to know me, so they are always excited to talk about their business with me. Many of my friends refer to me as "Sirumbu setu" which is "our Sirumbu", it has become a term of endearment for many here that know me and love me, this is probably my favorite use of Sirumbu. The most amusing thing that happens to me is when someone that I am with calls their family, usually their mother or father and then hands me the phone. I have to talk to them to prove that their child or friend actually knows the white person... this happens more than you would think...

Part of my role here is to help break down walls between black and white people, so I greet everyone I see, even if they don't respond. However, it seems that my friendly demeanor has attracted a good deal of unwanted attention. I average 3 marriage proposals/girlfriend requests a week. At first it was sorta flattering but now, it's just annoying. When I was about 16 I was with my family in Montana and I found a ring in an antique shop with a turquoise stone in it, the stone is my favorite, I have worn it since I found it, and it fits best on my ring finger... men here always ask me what the ring is for. Mostly I tell them it is just for me, but sometimes I tell them I am married, or my boyfriend in the states gave it to me (yes, I have a fictional boyfriend in America)... 100% of the time the response it, you need a Namibian boyfriend... I always just laugh awkwardly... I mean, how do you respond to that. I have gotten marriage proposals and I love you from police officers, government employees, workers on the side of the street... the list goes on. It's just not flattering anymore, you wont win a girls heart by telling her that you want to marry her cause she is white... also it's advised to not propose marriage to strangers.

They think I have some golden ticket for them to come back to America with me... that is the most common thing I hear... "take me back to America when you go", my response... I'll just stuff you in my luggage... they laugh, I worry that they think I am serious.

I have never in my life been so aware of my race... I guess that's a privilege of being white in America. Having this experience of being aware of my race and having it be my identifier is something that not many white people will truly experience in their life, it has certainly been eye-opening, and has contributed significantly to how I carry myself and interact with others. The down side of being known by everyone, even if you have never met them is the inability to turn off. We were warned about this in training but it is absolutely true. Unless I am home, behind closed doors, I am being observed, people are watching to see what the Sirumbu does... and everybody needs to be able to turn off somedays.

When I start to get really comfortable and forget that I am a tall, blonde, white lady living in Sub Saharan Africa something always happens that makes me very much aware that I am a Sirumbu.