1st World Misconception versus 3rd World Truth

Back in May a colleague of mine and I had a conversation about the different “Senegals” that we had experienced during our first year teaching in Dakar. We found that we couldn’t create a precise definition, or description even, of Senegal as a nation, but could understand it as an entity of culminating happenings over a period of time that started well before its independence or naming of this vast place identified on maps merely as Senegal.

For instance, the majority of Senegalese are Muslim. This is one piece of force and influence that establishes this idea of Senegal. But, within that piece, there are several more minute pieces and subsections. There are the people of the Tijane faith, the Mourid faith, and so on and so forth, each piece cohesively connected to create, once again, this idea of Senegal. Each of these subsections, moreover, can be broken down to a neighborhood level, a community level, a street level, a family level, and of course an individual level. Meaning, thus, each unique individual is a contributing piece to this idea of Senegal.

This conversation that Tod and I had has continued to resurface in my mind during my time here in the States. Just as in Senegal, there are many Americas. And to a certain point, this is a unique and celebratory characteristic of America. There is a white America, a black America, a Hispanic America, an Asian America, so on and so forth. There is a Yankee America and a Southern America and even a West Coast America. There is a Christian America, a Jewish America, an Atheist America, a Muslim America, and so on and so forth. There is a rural America and an urban America and even a suburban America. There is a rich America and a poor America.

What seems to be lacking, however, is the level of understanding that many of us Americans have of our “other” counterparts past the exposure available to (more like thrown at) us from mainstream media. Does white America understand black America and vice versa? Does Atheist America cooperate with Christian America and vice versa? Is rural America in tune with urban America and vice versa? Do our youth listen to our elders? And what’s more, do our schools encourage a collaborative dialogue between how we individually identify ourselves and how we see “others”?

Many of us cling dearly to how we label ourselves – to how we create the persona of who we want to be. Controversial issues within religion, politics, sexuality, style, race, language, music even force many of us to fearfully defend the labels of ourselves and to shun the concepts and opinions of the “other”. This makes us, in many aspects, a polarized nation of various non-compromising ideas and values.

In Senegal it is common to find Christians celebrating Tabaski, a Muslim holiday, with their Muslim brothers and sisters and Muslims celebrating Easter, a Christian holiday, with their Christian brothers and sisters. You will find that Senegalese first and foremost celebrate their African culture, heritage, language, and existence on the motherland and will welcome any outsider as their brother or sister. We Americans are often quick to assume that we are the leaders of the free world, but yet, we find it difficult to sacrifice a bit of our labeled selves, for just a moment, to wear and walk in the shoes of the “other” fellow American, or immigrant even, living on this American soil.