In a nation with 59% illiteracy
it should not be too surprising to find that Guinean society is
primarily built upon symbols. Thus, in Guinea, (as throughout much of
Africa) symbols are a powerful medium for communication. Yet those of
us from the word-saturated West are, for the most part, oblivious to
this fundamental difference in our two cultures.
For
example among the Pla people of Benin, offering a guest a glass of
water is much more than just good manners. If you are offered a glass of
water in a Pla home, your host is wanting to communicate, "I am at
peace with you." If you decline the water, (perhaps you are quite
justifiably worried about the possible after effects) in essence, you
are saying, "I do not accept your offer of peace; I am at war with you."
As you can well imagine, uncovering the deep level meaning of everyday
gestures is very important for us as we work among people from
traditional African societies.
The other day, I happened to be in the Maxillofacial/ENT ward while Dr. Gary was making rounds. As he stopped at Hasanatu's
bed, one of the nurses mentioned that whenever she used the privacy
curtain to change Hasanatu's hospital gown, she became visibly
agitated. Being
naturally curious, I asked the nurse where the curtain in question was.
She pointed across the room towards a full length curtain hanging
from the deck head by magnetic hooks. It was a deep red-wine color. I
turned to our local Fula translator and asked him if the color red had
any symbolic value in the Fula culture. "No," he said. He couldn't
think of anything. I asked him to ask Hasanatu. He quickly translated,
but she looked confused. "She doesn't know," he said.
Could
it be that when her bed was shrouded in that long red curtain, it made
her feel isolated from the other patients…cut off from community; alone
and vulnerable in a very strange place? Maybe that was it. Maybe...
I
turned to the translator one last time and probed a little deeper,
"What color do the Fula wear when attending a funeral?" Without
blinking an eye he replied, "Why, red, of course."
Good to know. Good to know.
by Susan Parker
by Susan Parker
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