I remember when I was little (and not so little), how exciting it was to have a day off from school for a holiday. Holidays seemed to be few and far between (unlike the snow days that came with rapid frequency during the winter months), but when they came, we looked forward to them, planned for them, and enjoyed them. For some of you still at Messiah, this week holds the promise of fall break... and haven't you been looking forward to it?
Now, I find myself in a country where I don't know all the public holidays, and even the ones I know about seem to come unexpectedly. This past week, we celebrated Idi Day, the Muslim holy day which marks the end of Ramadhan. I had heard murmurs of Idi Day before, but no one really knew when it would be. Even at the beginning of the week, there was uncertainty as to whether it would occur on Tuesday or Wednesday, and some people were already planning simply to celebrate both. By Monday evening, we still didn't know on which day Idi would fall, as it was dependent on the appearance of the new moon. At school, some of my friends suggested that it would probably appear that night because we had had very heavy rains on Monday morning (finally!). All we knew for sure was that whichever day Idi fell on, it would be a public holiday -- with schools and businesses closed across the nation, even those which aren't in any way affiliated with Islam. We heard the announcement on the radio around 9pm Monday night as we were eating our supper: the next day (Tuesday) would be Idi Day.
[For those of you in America, can you imagine how chaotic and bent out of shape businesses would be if we announced government holidays the night before they occured...... which might just say something about how caught up America is in business and consumerism...].
Tuesday morning, I thought perhaps we would go and dig in the garden, but no, for two reasons. One, a village man had died on Sunday evening and was not yet buried; Maama told me that you can't dig when there is a dead body in the village. Two, it would be disrespectful to go and dig on a holy day, even if it is not for our own religion. One of my younger cousin sisters is Muslim, so she went to the mosque for prayers and then celebrated with another family in the village. My younger (Catholic) brother also joined them for the meal and celebration. For the Muslims in the village, the Idi meal was beef. For the rest of us who could afford it, we celebrated Idi with pork. It was a pretty laid-back day... I did laundry, was glad to have matooke for two meals instead of the school lunch of posho and beans, wrote a couple letters, took a nap, and hung out with friends. There was also a football game at the village playground, but I missed it because Father Peter was telling me about the two weeks he had just spent in Israel. And then, Wednesday, back to school as normal.
This next week, there will be no school on Wednesday or Thursday, for, respectively, a district teachers' seminar and Uganda Independence Day. But really, there is something utterly refreshing about a holiday that is only announced the night before...
And, also, I love being in this place where Catholics and Muslims live as neighbours and embody the graciousness of God to one another. What would it mean for inter-religious dialogue and relationships if we all respected and, to some degree at least, celebrated one another's holy days? What if more of us were willing to recognize the presence and pursuit of God visible in religious traditions other than our own? What if we were truly committed to making God's graciousness incarnate in this world? What if?
And yet, even here, I am constantly reminded that this dream of a gracious world isn't fully realised... as the Baptists from Masaka Town try their best to convert my parents... as the villagers condemn the family who worships the traditional spirits... and as the "born again" revival broadcast through the village by loudspeaker wakes me up at 2am.
But still, here in Bukoto, among my Catholic and Muslim neighbours and friends, I find an embodied graciousness that is far more refreshing and life-giving than the philosophical tolerance so common in America.
14 years ago
3 comments:
Thanks for your thoughts on the diversity of religious expressions in the area. Living in a country where monks are a constant presence and the music from the wats can be heard all over town, I still don't see much (if any) inter-religious dialogue. I'm glad that you can appreciate that but still realize it is not perfect.
I also like the note about the holidays. I am finding similar things happen here. I have heard that classes may be cancelled for a meeting or someone's birthday. Cambodia also has an insane amount of holidays, and they are often extended beyond the official day so it makes planning difficult, but is great for vacations or extra time.
I went back and read this again, just to see if it struck me differently, but I still find the anti-American comments disturbing.
True, we are not perfect, but after living 4 + years in China, I was never so glad to get back to the good ol' USA where I knew my freedoms were intact. That period of time, during my college years, was the best course on democracy that no one ever intended for me to take !
Hmm... I'm tempted to apologize for raising disturbing questions and thoughts... but actually, I think that's part of why I write the things I do. For me, such thoughts and questions arise almost daily... I realise new things about myself, about the culture where I am currently immersed, about the culture which is so deeply engrained in me that I have often taken it for granted. Uganda is not perfect, but America certainly isn't either. There are many things about America I appreciate - high on the current list is the spin cycle of electric washing machines and the possibility of having a desk and textbook for each student in a classroom. But there are also many things which I have realised more and more are "privileges" that Americans take for granted but cause great hardship and suffering in other places around the world. For example, today I was reading the July 2008 issue of Sojourners magazine (yeah, I'm a bit behind the times), which includes multiple articles detailing the role the typical American lifestyle has played in causing food shortages (which have led to disease, malnutrition, violence, and deaths) around the world. And although America stands as an emblem of democracy in the world at large, our government has also become a bureaucracy which misuses its resources, ignores minority opinions, and hides relevant information from its citizens, as often as not with the help of the mainstream (conservative and liberal) media. I can't claim to always be proud to be an American, even in those moments when I am greatly enjoying the privileges which such citizenship guarantees me around the world. I can't blindly praise America, or even claim that the "good" which our country claims to do in the world outweighs the "bad" which it is also quite famous for.
So, I apologize for any offense... but not for raising disturbing thoughts and questions. All I ask is that we keep thinking, keep talking, and keep asking questions (of ourselves, each other, our governments, and our religious beliefs)... for after all, isn't that part of the true heart of democracy?
Post a Comment