Hello Steemit!
So it has been about a month since my last post and I have really missed the interaction of Steemit. Having now emerged from the rubble of an ill kept schedule I have glimpsed the light of day and breathed the fresh air of having my oldest son back in school. Now don't get me wrong, I love having more time with my kids. But there are things, like; dance parties, cubby house building, and inside racetracks, that simply do not allow room for sitting and maintaining a consistent train of thought. So here I am taking advantage of a quietness of space and mind to return to the Steemitsphere.
Thankfully the time spent away from posting has not been without it's thought provoking moments.
I watched a TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie called "The Danger of a Single Story".
She talks about when exposure to a different people, place, or idea comes through a single narrative it is ultimately incomplete. No one can understand something they have not experienced through a single story.
I am going to go out on a limb and assume that we have all had the following experience. We strike up a conversation with some one new and in the course of the conversation we reveal a piece of information about ourselves; nationality, ethnicity, educational background, and the other person comes up with a story or some one they know or heard about who shared one of these broad identifiers. Then you answer "Not everyone is like that."
We know how we feel when broad assumptions are made about us that we find unfair or unflattering. But do we recognize when we do it to someone else? Or perhaps an entire region of the world.
When it comes out in conversation that I spent most of my formative years in Ethiopia the first question is usually: "Was it like what we see on the news?" With Ethiopia's history this usually means famine, riots, and war. What people expect to hear from my mouth is confirmation of the single narrative they have seen on TV. When I tell them that Ethiopia is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world they tend to be a little shocked. I tell them how it is home to Africa's fourth highest peak; Ras Dashen, which regularly experiences snow storms as well as one of earth's lowest and possibly hottest places ; the Danakil Depression. And these two point are less than 300km apart.
Ras Dashen, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
Danakil Depression, Dallol, Ethiopia
There are lush highlands that are covered in green and sand covered lowlands dotted with Acacia. Not only is it geographically diverse, but with over 100 different people groups and over 300 different languages and dialects the diversity is vast.
So I am happy to tell my story. What I have lived and what I have seen, but please keep listening and know that this is not the entire story.
✅ @jeniwonders, enjoy the vote!
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I love hearing your thoughts Jeni and look forward to more of your story!!
Thanks Jessi!
Asking the question is questioning the single narrative though.
If the asker wholeheartedly believes what they've already been told, they won't seek to challenge that by hitting you up for another perspective.
On a scale from humility to arrogance its;
Asking the question > Not thinking to ask because they already 'know' > Telling you about Ethiopia.
I have found that asking a question does not always indicate a desire for an answer. We have a culture where we learn that asking questions is a way to make conversation which is how we make ourselves comfortable. For example how many times have you heard some one say "how are you?" and you know full well that what they expect to hear is "good" regardless of circumstance. In my experience you do come across people who are genuinely interested in hearing multiple stories, but much more often it is just what is done.
I can't wait to hear more about your experiences of Ethiopia. How long did you live there?
Thanks @minismallholding. I loved there for 12 years as a child and 2 as an adult. I would love to hear about your life as well!
Hey jeniwonders good to see you around, I like your contemplation, I guess if you are not privy to a culture or religion by lack of experience and all you know is what media has shown you or what people have told you, I would like to think one would ask more questions for more perspective. I guess a single narrative is just blatantly accepting what you’ve been told and that’s that. Gorgeous photos :)