Complexes of identity

THEY say “It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather; they are in haste to tell each other, what each must already know, that it is hot or cold, bright or cloudy, windy or calm.”

I have also observed, that when Zimbabweans converse, it is common to talk about the weather. This topic has saved me many a time, when I ran out of things to say. People will ask, “linjani ilanga?” (How is the sun?) “Kuyana yini khonangapho?” (Is it raining that side?) or just pass comments about how cold it is and how windy it is.

I do not know if this is something our ancestors used to do or we borrowed this style of conversation from the British.

When two Zimbabweans meet for the first time, the conversation usually leads to the question, “Where do you come from?” In Ndebele it is more specific, the question is “Usuka ngaphi ekhaya”, meaning where is your rural home or from where do you originate? The answer usually reveals a lot about your identity. If you say you are from Plumtree, we immediately assume you are Kalanga. If one is from Gokwe, we assume they are Shona.

In this day and age of high migration, both internal and external; we fi nd ourselves with a generation that has lost track of where they come from. We have Shona children who were born and bred in Bulawayo and speak fluent Ndebele. We also have Ndebele children, born and bred in Harare, who speak fluent Shona. These children usually grow and marry locally, promoting the rise of intermarriages and producing a generation whose ‘‘origins’’ are unclear.

Boarding schools and tertiary institutions like Nust in Bulawayo, The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic in Gwanda, The Lupane State University in Lupane and others, have attracted students from all over the country. Some return to their places of origin after they complete their studies and others never go back. They find work and spouses locally, producing a generation of Ndebele speaking children, regardless of their parents’ tribe. These children, when asked at any point in their lives where they come from, will say they come from Bulawayo.

One of my friends, Tsitsi Chiwawa, was born and bred in Gwanda where her parents worked. Her parents were originally from Domboshava, just outside Harare. She and her siblings speak fluent Ndebele and I recently attended her brother’s wedding in Harare where we all spoke in Ndebele. Tsitsi and her siblings are Shona by birth and origin. They studied Ndebele at school, speak Ndebele at home, think in Ndebele probably and have even taught the subject as they were all teachers at some point in their lives.

We recently had a social media debate where people were complaining that the new KFC at Bradfield did not employ locals. The question “Who are the locals?” then arose. Locals as in Ndebele speakers or locals as in anyone originally from Matabeleland or locals as in Bulawayo residents? Some insisted that when Bulawayo people say local residents, they do not include Shona people residing in Bulawayo.

In this world, where we brand each other by where we come from and what language we speak, what are we going to do with those whose origins are unclear. How are we going to treat Ndebele speaking children with Shona surnames and Shona speaking children with Ndebele surnames? Seeing as identities are becoming more complex by the day, at what point will we accept or reject people on regional and tribal grounds? Are we still going to go by the language someone speaks? Will we demand IDs and confirm their villages of origin or are we going to classify people using surnames?

Imagine you are an employer tasked with employing locals and a girl comes to you and says this:

“My name is Gadzanani Mayendese”. Gadzanani is a Kalanga name which means “live together in peace.” My father is a Shona man from Gutu, but he grew up in Bulawayo and he speaks fluent Ndebele. My mother is a Ndebele-speaking Kalanga woman from Madlambudzi. We live in Bulawayo. We speak Ndebele and English at home. I learn at Masiyephambili Primary School where I also learn French and Chinese. My friends and I speak only English. My maternal grandparents speak Kalanga, I am fluent in the language. My paternal grandparents now live in Gutu and speak Shona. I can also speak Shona perfectly. My father affectionately tells everyone that I am his little linguist. What am I?” And another comes to you and says this: “My mother is Ndebele and my father is Shona. I live with my mother and we speak Ndebele and English at home. At school we learn both Shona and English. I speak Shona and English with my friends. During the holidays I visit my maternal grandparents and we speak Ndebele at home. I rarely see my father and his family. What am I?

What do you do with a boy who was born and still lives in Bulawayo, but says this:

“My name is Baldwin. My father is Shona. My mother is Ndebele. My father does not allow any language in the house except Shona. I can speak English and a bit of Ndebele. We are a Shona speaking Shona family.”

Upon realising that the language factor is not enough grounds to determine locality you might decide to use origin and probably get these responses:

“I was raised by my malume and his wife in Inyanga, Manicaland province. My mother and her brother who raised me are originally from Tsholotsho. I do not know my father or where he is from. Where do I come from?”

“My father comes from Murehwa. I have never been there. My paternal grandparents live in Gweru. I rarely visit them. My mother comes from Kezi, Matopo district in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. Sometimes we go there to visit. My maternal grandparents live in Filabusi. I live in Bulawayo with my mother. Where do I come from?”

“I was born in London, the capital city of England. My father was born there too but my grandparents are originally from Zimbabwe. They moved to England in 1985 when my grandmother was pregnant with my father. I am a British citizen by birth, so is my father. My mother is from Ghana and I have been living with her in Accra from the year 2008 when I was three years old. I have never been to England since we left and I just moved to Bulawayo. Where do I come from?”

The world is changing and to survive, our view of the world must also change. As our worldview changes, so should our tolerance levels. We have children living in Mashonaland, fighting for jobs with “locals,” should they be denied opportunities because of origin? We flood South Africa, Botswana, England, Canada and other countries on a daily basis in search for jobs, imagine if they gave only “locals,” regardless of citizenship. Would there be any hope for our relatives who migrated and are now citizens of foreign countries?

The argument of giving preference to locals changes every day according to where one is standing, when they attack us in South Africa for taking jobs we scream xenophobia! When they employ “outsiders” in Bulawayo we scream tribalism! When they promote locals in Harare over us we scream sabotage!

I agree, bussing in employees from another region is a complete insult to our people. We must fight that with everything we are. My worry is the blurred lines in our definition of locals and the hypocrisy we display when we find ourselves “locals” in foreign lands. My concern, is these complexes of identity, which were never a factor when all you had to ask was, “uvela ngaphi ekhaya?” GREETINGS health care column readers, today’s article may seem like something very basic and easy to do, and rightfully so, tooth brushing is a very common routine that we practice on a daily basis but it is also very interesting to know that most do not do so effectively and accurately.

In today’s article I will explain how to effectively brush your teeth, floss and clean your tongue.

Brush your teeth twice a day minimum. The size and shape of your brush should fit your mouth allowing you to reach all areas easily. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job of effectively cleaning your teeth. Make sure you use fluoridated toothpaste. The proper brushing technique is to:

Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums.

Gently move the brush back and forth in short (tooth-wide) strokes.

Brush the outer surfaces, the inner surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

To clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make several up-and-down strokes. Two minutes is the optimal brushing time. Clean between teeth daily with floss. Tooth decaycausing bacteria still linger between teeth where toothbrush bristles can’t reach. This helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line. Eat a balanced diet and limit between-meal snacks. Visit your dentist at least once every six months for professional cleaning and oral exams.

We know we should floss at least once a day, but not everyone knows the right way to do it.

Break off about 20-40cm of floss and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the remaining floss around the same finger of the opposite hand. This finger will take up the floss as it becomes dirty.

Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers.

When the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a C shape against one tooth. Gently slide it into the space between the gum and the tooth.

Hold the floss tightly against the tooth. Gently rub the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum with up and down motions. Repeat this method on the rest of your teeth. Don’t forget the back side of your last tooth.

Once you’re finished, throw the floss away. A used piece of floss won’t be as effective and could leave bacteria behind in your mouth.

You may brush twice a day, but until you learn how to clean your tongue, you may not be able to get rid of bad breath. Each time you brush your teeth, remember to clean your tongue. It is simple enough to use the bristles of your toothbrush. You can also try a specialised brush with a built-in tongue cleaner on the back of the head. The tongue harbours bacteria and food particles trapped under a thin layer of mucus. Remove this odour-causing layer by using a small dab of toothpaste and carefully brushing the top of the tongue. Start by reaching to the back of the tongue, concentrate on the centre of the tongue where the bulk of odour-causing bacteria lies. Then work forward toward the opening of the mouth. Brush the entire top surface of the tongue gently, and finish by rinsing with water.

If you have dry mouth or notice a foul taste in your mouth midday, try cleaning your tongue to get rid of the odour.

A mouthwash rinse used after cleaning your tongue moisturises the mouth and kills additional bacteria. Remember, maintaining fresh breath goes beyond routine tooth brushing. Getting into the habit of giving your tongue adequate attention will help keep your breath neutral and fresh.

Remember when you speak that it is not only what you say that matters, fresh breath goes a long way in effective communication too.

Dr Kimberley Eve Nyathi BDS Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University