'When Curiosity Kills'

I’ve always had an interest in the way Americans are perceived by others around the world. Regardless of who’s sitting in the White House at any given moment, almost universally we are viewed as a friendly, optimistic (verging on naïve), outgoing, and curious group. Sometimes our national personality stands in sharp contrast with that of other peoples.

For example, I sometimes felt disappointed by the absence of a simple “thank you” from the subsistence farmers and others I helped or from my host family and trainers for the small gifts I gave them. Then I learned that it wasn’t anything personal, that the concept of “appreciation” wasn’t part of Kenya’s behavioral norm. As Wangari Maathai explains in her book, The Challenge for Africa, appreciation and self worth weren’t exactly fostered by the colonialists or instilled in Kenyans living under their rule. So rather than withhold our appreciation, we learned to dole it out lovingly and in big portions as teachable moments.

I also noted an odd lack of curiosity among many Kenyans I met. No one asked to see my photos of home or family, asked about my life in Los Angeles, or wanted to hear the music I brought. When I mentioned this to my language teacher, Peninah, she explained that Kenyans don’t value curiosity and imagination like we Americans do. On the contrary, Kenyan parents go to great lengths to suppress those traits in their children, especially the girls. Don’t bring attention to yourself and thus get set up for potential problems, goes the logic.

Peninah, or “Nina,” as she’s informally called, understood this only too well. Preternaturally inquisitive as a young child, she suffered the consequences by being severely punished by her parents and socially ostracized. Fortunately she didn’t buy into it. She fought back by going to school and becoming one of the best teachers in Nairobi, where she taught Kiswahili to diplomats. She was in the U.S. Embassy the day it was bombed by Al Qaeda, and survived.

Today, in addition to teaching Kiswahili to Peace Corps trainees, she helps rescue Masai victims of Female Genital Mutilation, transporting them to a “safe house” in Nairobi and finding sponsors to help give them a proper education and a better life. 

I had the opportunity to go with Nina to meet one of these FGM victims one day in Loitokitok, and hear her story. If you’re interested in hearing a bit about it, keep reading.