Bazungu

In Luganda (the dominant language in this region) a white person is called a muzungu; I hear that word a lot. When travelling through the rural areas little kids will wave and shout “Muzungu! Muzungu!” as we drive by. A guy at a market stall will say “Muzungu” in order to get my attention and then indicate that I should check out what he is selling. It is often the only word I understand if I hear a group of people talking in Luganda, so I know that it is very likely they’re talking about me! The word is so ubiquitous that tourist shops sell t-shirts that read “My name is not muzungu!” The plural form of the word is bazungu. It is simply unavoidable--we bazungu stand out around here. In terms of appearance, however, there is so much more than our skin colour that distinguishes us from the Ugandans.

When I see how the local women dress and carry themselves words like elegant, poised, statuesque, graceful, and even regal come to mind. They walk with perfect posture; they never seem to be in a hurry; their dresses are perfectly pressed, and even amongst the dust in the village, their whites sparkle. In contrast, when I observe bazungu women, words like harried, comfortable, practical, ill-fitting, or frumpy come to mind. We wear Velcro sandals, while the Ugandans wear high heels. We carry nylon purses or backpacks with lots of useful pockets, while the Ugandans carry fancy handbags.

Bazungu always have water bottles in our hands; we really like khaki and denim; we use a lot of hand sanitizer; we can’t seem to keep our hair under control; we often look flushed and a little sweaty; we are always in a rush; we pull out our cameras a lot. We are just so obvious...and it makes me smile.

I, unfortunately, cannot exclude myself from the above description. I try to keep my clothes ironed. I try not to take out my camera too much. I try to vary my footwear for different occasions. However, comfort and practicality tend to win most of the time. We are a funny bunch of folks to watch and observing other members of my race continues to keep me entertained.