The prevalence of racism and white supremacy around the world is a harsh reality. It’s something many world travelers, ourselves included, have benefitted from. Now it’s time we helped dismantle it.
There are times when travel seems superfluous and trivial. There are times when James and I are painfully reminded that not everyone gets to do what we do. Not everyone has the ability to throw responsibility to the wind and jet-set halfway across the world to go whitewater rafting on the Nile. As two white guys, there are times when the privilege we enjoy that allows us to travel the world freely and with minimal risk is painfully clear. Our goal is to help make travel feel more accessible to everyone. But we recognize there are limits. And in times like these, we feel that as travelers, we have a responsibility to use our privilege and experience of the world to help create change. To speak up. To shift the narrative.
We travel because we love people. And we love people because we travel. We’ve seen so much good from so many people from Chile to Uganda and back again. But every time we set foot in a new country, we are emissaries. Our words and our actions have the ability to either prove or disprove stereotypes and misconceptions. We can either reinforce problematic beliefs, or we can attempt to break them. The power we wield as global travelers is immense.
As I write this, it is May 30th, 2020, and America is coming face to face once more with the systemic realities of racism that led to the killing of George Floyd by police. But while America is forced to reconcile its demons, it’s important to remember that racism and white supremacy aren’t uniquely American problems. They are a global problem. And as travelers we have an ability to help stop it every time we step foot into a new country. Racism is rooted in fear. And experience is the antidote.
We’d first like to share the experience of a Ugandan man named Juuko Acram growing up within a culture of white supremacy in Uganda. His story details the implicit, cultural white supremacy that still exists in developing countries like Uganda. You can’t solve a problem if you don’t understand it, and once you read his story, you will see why travelers must step up and do their part to end this cycle. After his story, I’ll tell one of my own. Then we’ll follow up with some action steps for how travelers can help fight racism and white supremacy around the world. And we must.
Thanks for reading.
Growing up Black In Post-Colonial Uganda
By Juuko Acram
“We were raised by parents and teachers who glorified white people at any chance they got. If a joke was made and you laughed too loud, you were “jokingly” reprimanded and told, “You laugh well. A white man would laugh alittle.” Now we are all grown and we know, there is no white people laugh and black people laugh. People laugh the same way. And that there is nothing wrong with a loud laugh.
If you were late to something, you would be “gently” reminded that “you’ll never see a white person delayed in a place. If you agree to meet a white man at two o’clock in the morning, he’ll be there for an hour and a half.” This is a lie. Lack of punctuality is not a habit that is coded into your black skin. Growing up, and having interacted with white people yourself, you know this.
We were told that the African is corrupt. That white people do not take bribes as they are well meaning people, with nothing but development in mind. But now you are grown. You know that while the white man’s land might be more developed than the black man’s, it was either built by black slaves, or through resources stolen from the black man’s land. As an adult, you know that it was the white people that introduced the idea of corruption to our people.
As a child, if you chewed food with your mouth open, you were reminded to close it, and also that you can never see a white person chewing their food like that. Now you are grown up. You know that a child who chews food like this isn’t doing it because they are black, but because they are children, who don’t know any better.
Growing up, if you saw an African’s house that is big, well maintained, with big cars in the garage, a fountain in front of the house, an adult would sure mention that, that is a good home the “home of a white.” Now you are an adult. You know that if an African has high standards, those are African standards too. They are not mzungu’s.
Growing up, we were reminded, over and over and over again by our parents and teachers, and adults around us, that white people things are good, and that you should aspire to be like them. These adults probably didn’t understand what it is they were doing exactly. That they were insecure people, who were training their black children to be insecure like them. So we grew up idolizing white people. We grew up idolizing our neighbours with relatives living in America. Oh, that paradise called America! We grew up wanting to move there, someday, because it had been coded into us that we, as black people, are somehow inadequate – – that our African land is inadequate, and we have to move into the white man’s land, because the grass is surely green there.
Not once while growing up, not once did we ever hear these adults around us talking about racism against their black brothers and sisters, against their sons and daughters, in the white man’s land. Not once. They talked endlessly about how well Mukasa , who lives in America now, is doing. The money he sends back home. “This TV was bought my Mukasa” when everyone else in town has a black and white Greatwall TV, whose remote is the five-year-old you. But now you are an adult yourself. You know that Mukasa over in America, has been looked down upon everyday of his life there, because he is just not white enough. You know that. Do you still want to send your children there?
As adults, we still look up to people – our leaders. Our leader who, for the flimsiest reasons, seek medical attention in the white man’s land because somehow, our hospitals are just not good enough. Our leaders who should do something to improve healthcare in their own land, prefer to run, and leave the local hospitals for the local garagarias. That is you. That is me. That. Is. Your. Child. They are still teaching us that white people things are better. They are still teaching your children that.
I have faced racism just once in my life. And no, I didn’t have to leave Kampala for that to happen. It happened right here in Kla, in Kololo and the funniest bit – A Ugandan girl was the perpetrator. I was working at media plaza back then as an intern. 2011. Being a German owned firm, there were lots of whites working there.
One evening, we all decide to go out for drinks in Kololo. Ugandans and Germans as a group. We drink our sodas, and at around ten or eleven in the evening, we get hungry. We go to a joint somewhere around acacia, One of those places where you order at the counter and once your order is ready, a thing vibrates at your table notifying you of the same. So we all queue at the counter. I’m the first in line. And as I enthusiastically make my order, the girl at the counter looks over my shoulder and says, “let me finish with them first.”
I look over my shoulder, thinking maybe there were some people here already, and I jumped a queue. But nope. It was just my white colleagues from work. The ones with whom I had left the club with. The ones whom we had entered this joint together. Is it racism if it’s perpetrated against you by a black person? In Africa? Has to be a close variation thereof, no? But I understood why she did it. She had been raised by her parents and teachers and literally every adult around her, that the black person is inferior to the white person in every way. That is why as an African, she would discriminate against another African, to look good for the white person.
This morning, I watched two videos. One video was shot in New York. A white woman called Amy Cooper was supposed to keep her dog leashed for the sake of the birds and other wildlife, but she didn’t. A black guy asks her to keep the dog leashed, and she starts screaming that the black guy is threatening her and her dog, and calls 911. In an Oscar worthy performance, she raises her voice, reporting how a black guy has just threatened her. Her voice changes completely, like she is being pursued by an armed pack of terrorists. Such passionate 911 calls have successfully been used as evidence against black people in the American courts, and they have gotten black people killed. Lucky this one was caught on video.
The second video is one I’m sure many of you have watched. A white cop in Minnesota, pins a handcuffed black guy to the ground, by placing his knee on the black guy’s neck. The black guy is pleading for air. “I can’t breathe,” he says, over and over. He calls for his mama. A 46-year-old man, calls for his mother. Over, and over. And then he dies. Right there on camera, the man dies. They say that George Floyd died upon arrival at the hospital, but when medical responders arrive at the scene, one of them checks him for a pulse. They don’t try CPR or anything – they just pick George’s still handcuffed body, put it on a gurney, put him in the ambulance, and off they go. But George dies right there on that pavement, with the white cop’s knee on his neck.
That is America for the black man. That is where we send our brothers. Our sons. And brag to our relatives and neighbours, “Oh, Okello lives in America these days. He sends money every month.” Okello is over there, looking over his shoulder every second, scared he will upset some white woman, and that will lead to his death. He is over there, praying he doesn’t get pulled over by a white cop, for who knows what will happen from there. And this is the same Okello who you raised as a parent, to believe that he is inferior as a black man. You may not have known that that is what you were doing, but trust me, that’s exactly how you trained him. And now he is over there, seeing just how much the white people believe that too .They believe that Okello is shit. Your son. He’s shit.
We are now adults, and we know better. We know that the white man’s land is not paradise. At least not for the black man. We know we have opportunities right here at home. Sure, Africa is rife with corruption. But it is only corrupt because we elect corrupt leaders. And that is something that can change. Sure, there is poverty in Africa. But that too can change. Sure, our hospitals might not be as good as those in the white man’s land. But that too can change. Sure, there are more opportunities to make money in the white man’s land. There can be opportunities here too. Lack of opportunities at home; that is something that can change.
You are black. And guess what; that can never change. You’ll always be black. And as long as you are black, and as long as there is ignorance in the world, your black skin, in a land that isn’t your home, will always be used to keep you down.”
We as Travelers cannot accept this reality
James and I crossed the border from Rwanda to Uganda in January of 2018. Border crossings by land are always an adventure, but I will never forget this one. I will never forget the massive line of locals waiting their turn to cross as we were whisked to the front of the line. I remember feeling uncomfortable – every eye was trained on us as we were urged to take our place at the front of the queue. But we didn’t ask questions. Our lives were being made easier, and we’d be on our way more quickly. We were prioritized. We were given special treatment. Our lives, time, and money were valued more highly.
And it was because of our skin color. Our status. A status James and I had done nothing to earn.
What we should have done was wait our turn along with everyone else. What we should have done was use our privilege to change the narrative instead of embrace it. With our acceptance of this special treatment, we reinforced the beliefs Juuko detailed above. I didn’t appreciate this in the moment, but looking back it is far too clear: We are not better or more important because we’re on a “vacation”. We are not better or more important because we have money. (The joke here is that we don’t, it’s just assumed that we do). And we are certainly not better or more important because of the color of our skin.
People are people are people. We are all the same. We all have equal value. And we all need to put in the effort to dismantle any part of the global culture that argues otherwise. Even if that means waiting in line.
Here are a few ways that you as a traveler can do your part to help fight white supremacy around the world:
SPEND YOUR MONEY IN NON-WHITE COUNTRIES
Support non-white businesses and entrepreneurs by traveling to their countries and spending your money with them. Stay at local-owned hotels instead of chains. Book tours with local tour guides. Buy food from local shops and restaurants. Fly local airlines instead of the giant global brands. Money is power. So spend yours with those who don’t enjoy the privilege you do.
Wait your turn
Do not let yourself be prioritized as we did. Period. It doesn’t matter how much you paid or how little time you have. You chose to visit this country, and you need to accept the responsibility that comes with that choice. Because your reaction in a situation such as ours will either reinforce the beliefs of white supremacy or it will help to dismantle them. Those are the only options. Don’t do what we did. The best thing you can do to show someone that you’re no better than they are is to act like it and not allow your needs to be put ahead of theirs.
Celebrate other cultures
Immerse yourself in them. Ask questions. Listen. Try their foods. Engage with their traditions if invited to do so. And share those stories with your own network. Carry the message that people are people are people to your friends and family.
Call out bigotry and hate
Certain aspects of call-out culture are toxic and unproductive. This one is not. Those who actively engage in behaviors that support, uphold, and proliferate white supremacy should be called out – especially if that person is someone you love or care about. The only caveat here is if you’re in a country where calling out the behavior of an authority figure could be dangerous to you, there may be better ways to help than to put yourself in immediate risk.
Empower Children
When interacting with children, especially in developing countries, make it a point to tell them that you are no better than they are, and ask them to teach you something. There is a tragic trend of white supremacy ingrained in so many cultures around the world from birth. You can help dismantle that in impressionable minds simply by using your words.
Step In
Stand up for people who are being harassed and intervene if it is safe to do so.
Read these books and resources
- How to Be an Antiracist
- White Fragility
- Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- Incognito: An American Odyssey of Race and Self-Discovery
- The Whiteness of Power: Racism in Third World Development and Aid
FOR SO MANY MORE RESOURCES, CLICK HERE
DISCLAIMER: We fully acknowledge that we are new to this fight. And we are ready to learn how we can continue to be better allies to people of color. If you can think of more ways travelers can help dismantle white supremacy around the globe, or if there are things we missed, or if you disagree with anything we’ve written, please leave a comment. We’re happy and eager to continue our learning process.
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Like you, I am new to trying to learn how my whiteness has benefitted me for things I have “earned” only as a result of the race into which I was born. I appreciate you broaching this subject. Thanks!