Sunday, August 8, 2010

Exploitative Hospitality?

How do you tell if people are being nice to you out of genuine hospitality or because they are expecting something in return? Do these motivations blur into each other, so there is really no black and white?

A few days ago, the outreach team was at a supermarket to procure bags of maize flour as gifts for the homes we were going to visit. When it came time to pay, Nicholas (the director of Providence VCT) turned to me and Amy and gestured towards the cashier. I was taken aback at his directness (but did not show it of course). Though we readily paid for the gifts, which weren't expensive (1200 KSH ~ USD 15), we nevertheless felt uncomfortable because we were simply put on the spot (a no-no in the west). Moreover, no one thanked us, as if it was something expected of us anyway.

That wasn't the last time they'd be asking us for money. A day later, we received a letter asking for 40 000 shillings (ridiculous!) to sponsor a HIV/AIDS walk.

After talking to Naomi, our host mother, I was surprised to find out that Kinyua had not been taking us to the project assigned to us by the head office. We were supposed to be working for a different organization, not Providence VCT. Moreover, Naomi told us Kinyua had not attended the meeting in which coordinators were asked not to solicit donations from volunteers. What's been happening to us, Naomi called it "exploitation." She added that she suspected something fishy was going on from the start because "they" were being so nice to us.

In my view, the people we've been been working with probably have good intentions, and are not really to blame. Their mindset reflects a larger cultural tendency to automatically assume that every mzungu is loaded. In most Kenyans' eyes, we are walking ATM machines, literally.

Lol, if only they knew how many credit cards I have. They are barking up the wrong tree.

Truth be told, we haven't been very helpful thus far except to serve as "trophy visitors." During home visits, we would sit quietly in a corner while Veronicah and Judith conversed to the client in Swahili. We were told our presence was good enough and "highly appreciated," and that we'd learn by "observing." In retrospect, I wonder if the main point of these home visits was really to bombard/overwhelm us with scenes of poverty. What I call tugging at the heartstrings to loosen the purse strings. After all, we aren't certified to do HIV testing. Neither are we trained to provide counseling. How else to avail of us if not as financial support?

Yesterday, I made it clear to Kinyua that I wasn't here to throw money at a problem (yo dude, I really don't have money), but that I'd be happy to look at his project proposals and locate sources of funding for him.

In any case, I am going to work in the orphanage next week, so hopefully, I can put all this behind me for the rest of my time here in Kenya.

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