Dichotomies Abound.

I went to town yesterday with Anna and, like most trips to town, it made me realize something that I had always noticed but never was consciously aware of. I noticed the clash between Western and traditional culture. Some of the Dala Dalas had pictures of Western pop culture icons (like Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Lakers) while other had religious slogans painted on them. People on the street wear everything from traditional Muslim, Hindu, or Tanzanian (skirts below the knees and covered shoulders, for women) dress to Western style clothing. Even the shoe shops in town demonstrate the dichotomy – stocking both Western ‘dress’ shoes and more traditional sandals. It made me think about what Abraham told peter and I one of the first weeks we were here, ‘one of the biggest problems in Tanzania is a gradual replacement of traditional culture for Western culture, among the youth especially.’ As I walked down the street, I noticed that the majority of people wearing Western clothing were around my age and the older people were in traditional dress. But even walking down the street, you can see a gradual change in how people act. There are groupings of older men sitting on the corners around tables talking and enjoying each other’s company while the youth tend to be shopping or rushing around in a hurry. I can definitely understand what Abraham means when he says that the shift towards Western culture is a bad thing. I can see tat Tanzania will be loosing its rich culture for the bland hustle and bustle of Western life. In a way, it pains me to see that loss. I love everything that I have experienced about traditional Tanzanian culture; it is such a friendly, welcoming mentality. But with even a slow movement to a Western way so much of that could very easily be lost.
I pray that this is only a phase that youth in Tanzania go through but then eventually realize the richness and beauty of Tanzanian traditions as they grow older. But I fear that this will not be the case and Tanzania will some (hopefully very distant) day water down their traditions and culture.
Peace.