About 10 years ago, I was having a discussion with two adult American women in the US. While chatting, one of them casually declared how Ethiopians do not have common sense. Her compatriot agreed.
I found their comments to be offensive. I thought they could not be serious!
I wanted to tell them, I am Ethiopian and I have common sense, plenty of it in fact; and much more. But I managed to politely let them know my disagreement.
I wanted to say so much, but only if I knew enough about common sense. For one, I was young and I lacked the fundamental understanding of what defines common sense. Yet old enough to have been cultured that, as a teenager, I have to respect and not argue with adults.
This was coming from women who travelled and lived in Ethiopia. I knew they cared about Ethiopia and Ethiopians. They meant no disrespect by it, so their intention was not questionable.
Right or wrong, it was just their sincere belief. For me, it had the effect of making me somehow feel inferior. Because, at that point, I understood lacking common sense meant lacking basic knowledge of sorts. In short, I perceived it to mean they believed Ethiopians were not as smart as them.
There, I found myself curious to know if there was validity in their comment. Deep inside, I started to question if they could be right.
It did not settle well with me, because, although I could not speak on behalf of all Ethiopians, I confidently believed that I was smart enough and hence believed their view could not have credibility. On the contrary, I wondered if they lacked common sense to understand Ethiopians.
The more I read and learned about it, it turns out there is no universality to common sense. Common sense refers to common understanding, common reasoning or common wisdom. It is influenced and shaped by culture, knowledge and experiences.
Where those common sense foundations intersect, that is to say, where societies share cultural values, there would be similar common sense. Otherwise, common sense would vary with cultural values.
That is what the two women precisely missed when they stated Ethiopians lack common sense. They were judging it based on their own culture. What is common sense or basic knowledge to them does not necessarily apply to Ethiopians.
Beyond global markets, the growing global interconnectedness is increasing cross-cultural understanding, system integration and diffusion of knowledge. This, however, is not without its challenges.
Increasing cross-border movement of people comes with cultural collisions. It is clearly evident here in Addis Abeba, as is in other major cities around the world. These cultural collisions at times create confusion, misunderstanding and resentment between the locals and foreign expatriates or even the locals and the diasporas returnees.
Many Ethiopians, for example, express their displeasure, at the growing trend of local businesses preferring to name their company in a foreign language. The same goes to trendy fashion outfits and other similar lifestyle choices that embrace the Western culture.
It is, of course, easier said than done. People in Addis and other relatively big cities face the dilemma of wholly embracing and preserving their own culture, or adapting to international popular trends.
Catching up with global development demands being able to stray from one’s own conservative culture. People have to come to terms that it is almost impossible to remain conservative with the traditional ways and expect to benefit from the fruits of globalisation.
While we will have different views on what aspect of our cultural values we should preserve and to what extent we should be open to adapt, we need to be aware that others are starting to capitalise on it. Take for instance the thousands year old Ethiopian grain Teff, the intellectual rights to its various genetic varieties and traditional harvesting methods now belong to a Dutch company, Vennootschap Onder Firma (VOF).
As depressing as it might be, it is a reminder how globalisation and capitalism are here to stay. No country or culture will remain immune to its influence; isolationist sentiments are things of the past. Therefore, perhaps staying ahead might be the best way to promote our cultural values and preserve our traditions.
As for our expatriates, the fact that one is living outside of her own country suggests, her openness and willingness to learn from others. It is a positive characteristic and one that is worthy of acknowledgement.
However, there are those who seem to forget the limitations of their local knowledge. The mere fact of knowing a lot more information than before should not fool anyone into thinking as being an expert on local matters.
Locals take offense, feeling lectured down by foreigners on one’s own history or local contexts, for instance. It is this condescending attitude from some expats that many resent. We would all be served best to express our knowledge with humility.
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