I’ve mentioned that the Zambians are friendly, happy people. I seem to recall that being said about a lot of people around the world, but here it seems especially the case. And it is certainly not because there is so much material abundance! I am just beginning to understand some of the why that would explain this phenomena, so I will weigh in on that later. But here are a few observations I can share now.
As I am taking my morning constitutional walk around the neighborhood, most houses show signs of activity no matter how early I go. Kids are up doing chores or are dressed in uniform and heading off to school (at least in the area I'm living in). Nearly every direction I turn, either my ears track a telltale scratching sound, or my eyes follow a small cloud of dust to someone sweeping out the house, yard or street. Most of the brooms are long straw bundles without handles so the speepers (mostly the women) are bent to the task regardless of the age.
I have noticed that this happens even when there seems to be little to sweep. ( A few leaves fallen overnight will be dutifully attended to.) This morning ritual seems to reflect a belief that there is value in clearing the stage for a new day’s activity. And that it's a good idea to sweep away yesterday’s disorder, frustrations, shortcomings, disappointments and create space for something new to happen.
In addition to sweeping, other kinds of cleaning are going on as well. Basins of graywater are brought to the yard to be emptied, and nearly everyone does this in a particular fashion. Instead of tossing out a stream of water in one motion, water is discarded by sprinkling it out by hand on the earth in a wide arch, as one would do in throwing grain to chickens. Since most of the yards in the area do not have grass, I thought this curious.
I shared my suspicion with Agness and she agreed that this custom was related to the fact that much of Zambia is dryland savanna, and water is naturally regarded in a much different way than in the water rich Pacific Northwest (although we are beginning to develop some water consciousness). It would make sense that the gift of water should be shared with as much of creation as possible and that life may sprout where even a droplet falls.
The concept of sharing what you have is prevalent in this place, where it is obvious that things that are not abundant and are distributed so all can have something. In this land it is clear to see that nature wastes nothing. The bone-crunching of the cheetah cubs on the kill of a springbuck will be followed by more bone crushing of the hyenas, followed by the vultures, the ants and microbes…
When my wife, Barbara, and I visited Europe a number of years ago, we joked that in France everything was beautiful, and in Germany, everything worked. Zambia is more France than Germany. Sometimes you have water at the tap, electricity at the outlet, internet on the laptop, sometimes not.
You need to wait for things. I think it builds a sense of tolerance and patience in the people. I notice that things that drive people crazy back home, traffic jams, long lines, waiting for a phone call etc., are met here with an acceptance that seems to say, life is too short to waste emotional energy on the inevitable shortcomings of the daily routine. My Zambian experience is saying, "Learn to sweep out the yard to start the day and accept that into every yard some leaves will fall."
 |
| Morning chores |
No comments:
Post a Comment