Magic and Racism

While I was at the Asian Party, I learnt a new racial epithet, commonly used by Asians in Kenya.

The term is “Jadugaar” – which in Urdu (or so my worn out english-urdu dictionary from Pakistan tells me) means “Magician”.

Strictly speaking its not a racialist word in the Western context of racism, which is oriented towards skin color and pigmentation and hence words like “nigger”, “negro”, “redskin”… etc.

“Jadugaar” appears to be aimed more at the traditional beliefs and practices of witchcraft. The “nigger” equivlent candidate would have been words derived from “Kaalaa” which means “black”. However “Kaaliaa”, “Kaaley” the singular, plural forms indicating black-person/persons are more commonly used as nicknames for people with darker complexion i.e. a pakistani or an indian with darker complexion can be nicknamed “Kaaliaa”.

Incidentally, in my home-town, “Negro” is still an acceptable word, anyone of African origin (most commonly Ghanaian boat people wearing sandals and selling hand-bags) is called a “Negro”. In my American mid-west town on the other hand, calling someone a “Negro” can put you behind bars.

Jim Crow

Today, while driving back from work, I saw a man walking past wearing a typical second-hand(“mitumba”) hooded jumper. Across the front of the hoodie was printed the name: “JIM”, and in the rear-view mirror I saw the words “CROW” printed across his back. I stopped the car immediately, leaped out, and ran after the man, intending to purchase the hoodie off his back. After all, where does one find a Jim Crow t-shirt but in Kenya ?

But, the man upon hearing my footsteps, looked back at me, and sprinted away into the distance, yelling “FBI !!”, “FBI !!!”.

(Admittedly I was wearing a black jacket, and sun-glasses, and the man I think I had been on an entertainment diet of Hollywood thrillers)

Cleansing

It seems very odd to me that every Kikuyu I meet in Muranga expresses revulsion and self righteous indignation that their “kikuyu race” is being slowly but surely exterminated by a gang of “other” tribes.They are clearly lying because:

• Even the day after ethnic bloodshed was reported I attended a couple of parties in Muranga celebrating “victory”. It is not surprising that one of the first items to run out during the fuel / transport crisis was beer.
• As recently as October 2007, the government itself was complicit in extra-judicial killings of about 500 young Kikuyu adults. I didn’t hear anyone mourn that.

About Muranga: I haven’t written about the town, so let me update you. This is one of those shitty little towns you find in third world countries. No breadth, no shape – a clump of buildings along the highway (with the usual fly blown butchery), a market that sells second-hand clothes, and everything smells of something. It also happens to be one of the most violent towns in the country. During my brief stay in Muranga, I heard of many casual instances of violence : a chicken thief whose hand was cut off, a man who cut off his wife’s ear because he suspected her of cheating (hope she cuts his balls off in revenge).