the questions people have about africa

You may have heard me talk about Couchsurfing.com before. It's a global hospitality network where you sign up and offer to let some travelers crash at your home for free, and in exchange you are given the right to use the worldwide network for your own travels. It's a good deal. I got an interesting message the other day. Here's the email exchange:

>>**************** Wrote:
>>>INUSERNAME: *******
>>>GENDER: Female
>>>AGE: 28
>>>LOCATION: Russia - Moscow City - Moscow
>>>
>>>
>>>I am interested in surfing your couch!
>>>
>>>Hello, my name is *****. I am from Russia.I want to come
>>>to Tanzania and see Tanzanian life because I have
>>>worked with Tanzanians for some time.Probably it will
>>>be in September. can you tell me is the place where
>>>you live far from Dar-Es Salaam?How much money
>>>approximately the person needs to spend a week in
>>>tanzania. don not worry I will spend at your place
>>>only 1-2 nights if you allow.
>>>
>>>Thank you in advance.
>>>Best regards,
>>>
>>>*****
>>>

>Benjamin Bodnar Wrote:
>>Hello!
>>
>>I'm sorry to say that I will no longer be in Tanzania
>>in September. I'm moving back to the US at the end of
>>June. Sorry!
>>
>>To answer your questions, however...
>>Tabora is extremely far from Dar es Salaam. I don't
>>know the distance exactly, but it takes about a day by
>>train, 14+ hours by bus or a 2+ hour plane flight
>>(which is a bit expensive).
>>
>>The cost of living in Tanzania is quite variable
>>because the east and the north are very touristy and
>>have a lot of international traffic, while the west
>>(where I am) doesn't see much international money, and
>>therefore is much cheaper. But to estimate -- a full
>>meal costs 1-2 dollars. at a very touristy or fancy
>>place it might be as expensive as 6-10 dollars. A beer
>>(large bottles) is between 1 and 2 dollars. Out where I
>>am, rent starts at 10$ per month (for a single room,
>>sharing all facilities with several tanzanian
>>families, pit latrines, wood-burning stove) and can go
>>as high as a few hundred dollars for a nice house with
>>ammenities. Rent in Dar itself can be much higher. A
>>hotel costs from a few dollars a night (for a room
>>with shared facilities) up to quite expensive (there
>>is good demand from wealthy folks coming for safaris
>>and such).
>>
>>hope that helps! let me know if I can help answer any
>>other questions.
>>
>>ben
>>

************** Wrote:
>Hi! Thank you for your reply!Can you help me with one
>more thing:
>
>I want when I come to Tanzania to go to some wildlife
>reserve or farm and spend my time taking care of
>animals:lions, cheetahs. this is kind of volonteering
>activities. is it possible to make in Tanzania,may be
>you can reccomend me somebody who deals with this.
>
>
>And 1 more question- what is the attitude in Tanzania
>towards white people? Is it dangerous to travel in
>Tanzania for white people on their own?because I heard
>that Africans are still not so friendly, because of the
>past.Are there many white people living?
>Excuse me if my questions seem to you strange. simply I
>want to knoow before I go there.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Best regards,
>*****

I wrote:

While there is a large amount of wildlife viewing (on safari) in Tanzania (including the famous serengeti national park), I've never heard of any locations or organizations with which you can work directly with animals. Rather, they are protected in their wild habitats away from humans. Aside from an internet search, I'm afraid I wouldn't have any information on such volunteering opportunities.

Generally, African's are spectacularly friendly and hospitable people. They tend to be far more generous and welcoming with their meager resources than Europeans or Americans who are much richer. The only racism that you're likely to come into contact with is REVERSE racism -- people will want to be friends with you just because you are white. People will assume that you are rich because you are white. The only real danger is from petty crime such as robbery. This is more likely in cities because so many people are desperately poor, and (as I said) if they see a white person they assume that they have money. That said, I've been living in Africa for almost 10 months now (first in Ghana and now in Tanzania) and I've never had any problems. Still, you have to be cautious about walking around alone at night in certain places.

People have many prejudices about Africa, and I think you'll learn that most of them are wrong. Africans are poor, yes, but they are wonderful people and they value the very same things as other people around the world.

And there aren't many white people living in Tanzania (relative to moscow, that is). But Tanzania is a very touristy place. So in some places they're used to seeing white people coming through, while in other places--places that tourists don't go, like where I am in western Tanzania--white people are a novelty. Children will laugh and point and yell "Mzungu" which means white person in swahili. Some will want to come touch you, while others will be scared and run away.

it's quite an experience. Though it's tiring. Nowhere in africa will you be able to go unnoticed. nowhere will you be able to be anonymous.

be prepared!

ben

______________

And so. As I reflected on how much of a mystery Africa and Africans still are to most of the world, and basked in my own self-assuredness and worldliness, she sent another email....

______________

Hi, Benjamin.

Thank you for the information that you have sent me, it
is very useful and interesting for me.

I want to be honest with you- the reason I want to go
to Tanzania is that I worked in Tanzanian Embassy in
Moscow for quite a long time.So as you can understand
I know a lot about Tanzanians.

During my work there I have encountered different
things such as African time ( pole-pole), and extreme
interest to white women, the last actually was not a
good experience. And really there was some kind of
negative attitude to white people.

Now when I work in another place, I still want to go to
Africa. And see it with my own eyes. I want to find
more good in Africans that I have seen before, to know
better their culture ,traditions.

Thank you ,

*****
________________________

So. Again. Be careful what you think you know (and what others don't).

She's right about pole-pole, which means, essentially, slowly-slowly. And she's right about the love of white women. It's part of that reverse racism, and the fact that with almost statistical certainty, a white person in Africa is a rich person. To snag a white person, then, is to become a rich person. But that's only part of it. Volumes could be written about post-colonial standards of beauty (and the omnipresent advertisements for skin-lightening cocoa-butter creams).

Still, I stand by what I said about African's generally.

It makes me wonder what was going on in Moscow. After all, I think I'd probably be unhappy if I moved from Tanzania to Moscow, which is not generally cited as a bastion of racial egalitarianism.

thoughts?