Lila ~ May 25

 

Inspired by Christina's stories about majoring in anthropology, I would like to write about some of the courses that I took in college. 

 

In college, I was interested in learning more about Africa. I wanted to understand more about why: why the disparity? why is Africa perceived as backward and why did Europe progress so much further than other parts of the world? 

 

In my junior year, I took a seminar with Professor Abu Bamba, an adjunct professor who taught a course on experiences of Peace corps volunteers in post-colonial Africa. 

 

We read books and memoirs about the experiences of these volunteers such as one woman who went to set up a birthing center somewhere in West Africa and work with a local midwife named Monique.  

 

There was yet another story of a couple who served in a West African village.  The chief of the village was kind but he was bothered by the displays of affection that this couple had with each other it was a real relationship between husband and wife. 

 

In many African cultures marriage is more contractual and practical The husband has his little house and the wife has hers. She cooks his food and they meet sometimes to have relations. 

 

Some places still practice polygamy. This is when the husband has three or four different wives each has their own little house. She contributes to the home economy with her labor. In return there guaranteed their own livelihood. 

 

It seems oppressive in many ways to our Western minds. And sometimes it is, but really it's just the way they do things over there. 

 

By the end of the journey the chief softened a little bit. He said that he could see the wisdom in the western ways of marriage. 

 

It didn't sound like the wife in question was being harmed or oppressed it simply just the way things were. 

 

I raise my hand and asked:  "what would Jesus do? What would He think of this? Which way is right or wrong?"

 

Some of my classmates giggled that I would ask such a silly question. But professor Bamba replied, 

 

 " I don't know. I am a Muslim, but I grew up going to Christian schools. And I would think that Jesus would be on the side of whoever is being oppressed."