Dear blogreader,
I have been living in Madrid now for four years.I usually praise Madrid for being generally colour-blind.Examples of my daily work and social life are evidence.During weekdays at lunchtime,I eat with colleagues in a restaurant close to work.I have not ever felt special attention,favour or disfavour just because of my race.I dont mean to totally claim that in Madrid race doesnt matter,because I would be lying.It does.If you dont belive me then be a black person or a black person from Africa or a person from Asia or a person from Eastern Europe or an Arab looking for a flat either to share or to own.Even for these groups of individuals there is a hierachy of acceptable races hence if any two indviduals from those races would be the last candidates for accomodation for example,one would fare better than the other.
Well,back to my realisation:Something happened to make me ask the following questions
a)Is it true?
b)If yes/no to the question above,does it bother me?
On Friday at work,I was having one of the lively chats and comments I usually have with colleagues about this and that,when suddenly a colleague mentioned that all Africans are the same.I was gobblesmacked to hear that umbrella statement but proceeded to ask my colleague what he meant.To the question he answered they speak loudly,dress in very bright colours and use a lot of hand gestures.He went on to say that when he sees me he has no doubt that Im African because all my mannerisms and physical attributes yell African from the highest peak of the Sierra Mountain in Madrid!Apparently,he had collected this information and evidence from being on the morning train to work.Come to think of it,I should have mentioned that Africans in the morning's workers train is a different profile to Africans in Canada going to work in their own cars to Africans in the United States going to work in far-away destinations on Air Force One!
I asked this colleague what would be his comment to the remark that all Spaniards are the same?He said there were not and I responded that the same applies to Africans on the train not being represenattive of all Africans(Blacks) on this planet.It then became a more uncomfortable discussion as he went on to assure me that all those attributes werent negative and I need not be ashamed or feel bad about them.I felt absolutely patronised and was flabbergasted.Needless to say,he was convinced I had an inferiority complex about being black and I believed he was ignorant and small minded.I even mentioned our common boss who is Spanish and has a loud laugh and dresses very elegantly every time in a combination of classic colours and bright feminine and flattering hues!
So to the 2 questions above,"Is it true,are all Africans the same?"Do we all speak in boisterous and voices?I know that for a fact to be untrue!
Secondly,how do I feel about people carrying and expressing these stereotypes,well I wish I would let it go.However,for now it bothers me...you know,expressions like to work like a black person in Spanish(Trabajar como un Negro) and many more stereotypes that people live and act out make me shriek.Truth be told,one of my best friends,an Italian girl from Sardegna who also happens to be a psychologist told me that we all carry prejudices one way or another.She also told me I have a laugh from the stomach which is lively and warm like water bubbling in a claypot on a fire (scene from africa:)).We agreed though that nowadays there are not really sweeping descriptions of races,communities and people...Like I told my colleague,apart from my boss with her loud laughing voice,Italians also use hand gestures(perhaps very particular ones,but visible hand gestures all the same)and so do Indian people to express different ideas.
For the obvious and subtle character traits in all of us,I bet we have more or less the same quantities.What do you think?
Till Soon!
Sarah
