Myahudi mbaya!

Just a quick one about a little incident today, which answered any questions I had about what (if anything) tanzanians know about Jews...

This morning I was hanging out with five or six kids in the classroom. I walked up to say good morning and Shela said "Salaam aleikum!" (she's never said that before and she said it in a joking way). I said "aleikum salaam!" and she and the others fell about laughing. Then the following exchange took place:

Shela: Wewe ni mwislamu? (are you a muslim?)

Me: Hapana, mimi si mwislamu. Mimi ni myahudi (no, I'm not a Muslim, I am Jewish.)

Shela and everyone else: MYAHUDI? MYAHUDI?

Me: Ndiyo, myahudi! (yes, Jewish!)

Everyone: Hapana! (no!)

Me: Ndiyo! (yes!)

Asha: Wewe ni Mchristo. (You are Christian.)

Me (pointing to everyone in turn): Hapana. Wewe ni Mchristo? Wewe ni Mwislamu? Wewe ni Mwislamu? Wewe ni mchristo? (No. You are christian? You are Muslim? You are Muslim? You are Christian?)

(everyone answers in the affirmative or negative.)

Me: Ah hah, halafu, mimi ni myahudi! (ah hah, then, I am Jewish!)

Dotto: Myahudi mbaya! (Jewish bad!)

Me: Myahudi mbaya? Nini? (Jewish bad? What?)

Dotto: Ndiyo, myahudi mbaya! (yes, Jewish bad!)

Me: Kwa nini? (why?)

(at this point everyone involved in the discussion begins an earnest pantomime. Sign one: someone being crucified. Sign two: the universal HAPO sign for piga-ing (see previous posts). then everyone shouts "Myahudi!" repeatedly while repeating the crucifixion and the piga-ing signs.)

[At this point my confidence falters somewhat as I try to work out how to introduce the concepts of historical context, stereotyping, tolerance, peaceful coexistence and biblical relativism to a bunch of swahili-speaking streetkids. In swahili. This is what I came up with:]

Me: Hapana, hapana, hapana. Hapana piga. Hapana myahudi mbaya. Watu nzuri. Mchristo nzuri, mwislamu nzuri, na myahudi nzuri. Halafu salama, amani! (No, no, no. No beating. No bad Jewish. All people good. Christian good, Muslim good, and Jewish good. Then peaceful, peace!)

Luckily, my little lecture seemed to get the point across; Dotto then said "Amani Tanzania!" (peace in Tanzania!) with which I could wholeheartedly agree.

I had to ask Sheki if we could all have a talk with the children about that perception, though. Maybe it will be yet another growing experience for them to spend time with a real live Jew... and one without a hook nose and a wad of money... actually, hold on, I do have a hook nose and I am a mzungu so I do have a wad of money... but hey, I never laid a hand on Jesus! Surely that must count for something?