Upenyu’s writing resonates with many folks, and it is disturbing that such attitudes exhibited by the cop she mentions can still be found in the “locations,” many years into the age of enlightenment. A guy “grows up in the hood,” goes to varsity, and the chaps treat him as one they cannot “hang with” no more. A friend said it is important  for him  that “even though” he is pursuing an MA abroad, he can still come to the “hood” and hang out with the fellas and pass a calabash of opaque beer just like they did back in the day. It is important because it tells him that he has not changed. Obviously this self-consciousness is also for the benefit of childhood chums who have this thing in their heads and would not expect him to hang out with them simply because he has been out there getting an education. That’s how it is in the “locations,” “elokitshini,” kumarokesheni” as Winky D puts it.

That education makes you interpret “reality” – constructed or otherwise – differently is obvious despite of course there being some who think not, yet there are chaps who think because you do not see and interpret the universe through their lenses you are therefore placing yourself on a higher intellectual plane. Come to Bulawayo and just try and respond in English to a cop who addresses you in Shona! He expects you to understand him but not him you, and will tell you to your face “saka ndimi makafunda” (so you are the educated type!). I heard over the weekend a pirate taxi driver say to some student teachers from Hillside Teachers College: “phela abantu bengafunda bayahlupha” (educated people are troublesome) after they had asked him to drop them off near the college gate but claimed they did not have extra money (ZAR5) to pay for this convenience. It reminded me of the good old days in Zimbabwe when teachers were respected as part of the “educated middle class” but have over the years seen the profession being ridiculed because of poor salaries and working conditions.

Yet there are many more others who impose “erudition” on you. A few years ago, a friend’s wife asked me to tutor her on some subject I had no clue about, and her reasoning was that since I was at varsity therefore I had the knowledge therefore was supposed to assist her, thus went the logic. And yes she did not take kindly to my claims that I had no clue about what she was talking about: “if it was some salad chick you would have assisted her” – her exact words. And these are the folks who will be quick to remind you that you belong in the rut along with them so don’t imagine you are a better person because you went to varsity! Of course you wonder where the heck that is coming from? And that’s not to say anything about my wife who over the years had to deal with the whole neighbourhood as folks sought to be tutored on one subject or another, and woe betide her for claiming commitment to other issues. Why? Because she was at varsity! That’s just how folks view life, and that is where resentment of “privilege” and “education” is found in very generous servings. Like Upenyu says, you are expected to apologise even if you do not know what exactly you are apologising for.

Another friend who earned his PhD last year said to me he had learned to do things differently when we scoured the CBD looking for a decent joint where we could sit and catch up over a few beers. It was no longer about just seeing the neon lights of a pub and getting in, but being careful about the places one patronises. Thing is, he would be expected to hang around the corner with his old neighbourhood buddies, but you also have to imagine the conversation. He bought himself a decent home, and said to me, “when people see me walking and commuting, they will ‘say look at him, what did he bring from the Diaspora’!” He, like many returning or visiting from the Diaspora, would be expected to be driving and buying copious amounts of beer for old mates who still hang around the local “bottle store” waiting for anyone to buy them anything from a cigarette to beer, and hell, pilfer change from the money you give them to buy another round of beer!

That’s what we found older chaps doing back then when a childhood friend visited from Wenela or Goli, and they obviously left something for their younger brothers to emulate. Ah, this Diaspora and education thing, you have to be in the township streets to feel the pulse. It  is here where throwing in a few English words in the conversation is met with disgust because, as some put it, you are flaunting your education, you think you are smarter than everybody!

Perhaps Upenyu ought to say, “sorry, I’m not apologising!”

This entry was posted on July 4th, 2011 at 10:29 am by Marko Phiri and is filed under Reflections, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.