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How a mosquito question abroad made me Kenya’s ambassador
Waiting for a flight to Nairobi from Cairo, a stranger asked if I’d ever had malaria, I realised how deep Africa’s stereotypes still run.
What you need to know:
- While waiting to board a flight in Cairo, a traveller asked me if I had ever had malaria — a question that exposed the subtle stereotypes about Africa.
- What began as a friendly chat turned into a reflection on how curiosity often masks bias.
Recently, whilst travelling through Cairo International Airport, a fellow traveller asked me if I had ever suffered from malaria. Right there and then, I knew I had finally come face to face with my own share of continental profiling. I was rather disappointed, though, because others are asked about serious animals like lions—why did it have to be mosquitoes when it came to my turn?
I was boarding for the last leg of my trip, from Cairo to Nairobi. Our conversation happened in the space between the boarding gates being opened and the boarding actually beginning, so there was some time to kill without the worry of missing the flight. She looked like a genial person—she walked with confidence, her face wearing a smile as she scanned through the faces of other travellers.
She is probably the most sanguine person I have met thus far in my life: very friendly to strangers, eager to ask questions, and excited to share knowledge and the history of Africa. When our eyes met, she came and sat next to me. I must have smiled at her.
She told me she was a professor in the United States of America, but originally from Jamaica. I don't remember how I introduced myself to her. She was travelling to Kenya—her first time in the interior of Africa. It was about 11pm and besides waiting for boarding time, I did not plan to use my brain.
Her phrase "interior of Africa" reminded me of Elieshi Lema's novel, In the Belly of Dar-es-Salaam. I wanted to tell her about the book, but she spoke first—asked a question.
"Can you teach me Swahili?" she asked with excitement. I get uncomfortable when people call the Kiswahili language "Swahili" because, according to my orientation, whilst the former refers to the language, Swahili refers to the culture. Anyway, I have since accepted that both Swahili and Kiswahili can be used interchangeably in certain contexts. However, I will always remain faithful to my teachers of Kiswahili.
Greetings
"You want me to teach you how to speak Kiswahili in ten minutes…" I said. It was half statement, half question.
I asked her what she wanted to learn, and after we got the usual "hujambo" "sijambo" (greetings in Kiswahili) out of the way, we got down to serious conversation. That was the point she paused and, looking straight into my eyes with a big smile, asked, "Have you ever had malaria?"
I laughed. Not because I have never had malaria, but because of her tone. Anyone passing by would have been forgiven for thinking malaria was a shiny trophy that everyone in Kenya clamoured to have.
"I last had malaria a long time ago. I live in Nairobi, and most places in the city are not malaria endemic zones. Places that have high prevalence of malaria are in western Kenya and also parts of the coast," I told her.
She seemed disappointed because she would be in Nairobi for the entirety of her visit to Kenya. She was also disappointed because I could not give her a blow-by-blow account of what it feels like to have malaria, since I could hardly remember the experience. I was tempted to ask her if she was looking forward to catching malaria during her visit, but I chose the higher road.
To lighten the conversation, I told her that Kenyans are very curious about meeting the Jamaican head of state because we never quite hear about him in our diplomatic circles—and also because we think he must be a fun president to run a country where everyone sings reggae.
She didn't say anything about their head of state. She also seemed mildly irritated by my insinuation that everyone in Jamaica sings reggae. It was boarding time soon.
I remembered this conversation this weekend when a friend told me about her son who, after just one year at university in England, has drawn boundaries. She said that when they took the young man to school, he told them (my friend and her husband) that he had made two resolutions going into his second year. One was to study more than he did last year, and secondly, to avoid schoolmates who have endless questions about Africa.
After my encounter with the malaria lady, I fully appreciate that second resolution. What is the craziest question you have answered on behalf of Africa?
The writer is the Research & Impact Editor, NMG, [email protected]
