Cultural Pedagogy

As a white, middle class woman, it is important to understand the biases I hold because my future classroom will have various backgrounds and identities different from myself. To prepare for that, I did some research on what it meant to be a white, middle class female teacher teaching students of color. Reading Chezzare Warren's “Towards a Pedagogy for the Application of Empathy in Culturally Diverse Classroom", I learned the importance of “empathetic concern or sympathy” and “perspective taking” (397). To exude empathy and sympathy I have to implement “culturally responsive teaching practice[s]” (396). In order to do this I need to “surrender [my] own personal opinion, philosophies, beliefs, and point of view to embrace those of the target”, and suppress my own "egocentric perspective of events" and consider the perspective of another (397).

So I took this information about understanding others' perspectives and thought about how I could implement this cultural and perspective understanding not only by learning about the cultures of my students in the classroom, but also of the cultures we discuss in class. I thought it important to teach about other cultures with credible sources (such as interviews and research) and then hopefully teach my students the inquisitive skills it takes to understand people who are different than us. To provide an example of a lesson and of a possible project for students, I decided to ask a friend from Burundi if I could interview him with some questions I had devised. By interviewing him I was hoping to take on his perspective by listening to his understanding of his own history and culture through his experiences and first-hand knowledge as a Burundian.

After my interview, my political science class devoted a whole lecture to the Rwandan Genocide, so I was able to apply some of the Rwandan history and culture to Burundi since both countries have experienced similar situations -- both being predominantly made up of Hutus and Tutsis, both being colonized by Belgium, and both experiencing violence due to Europeans racializing and ranking the ethnicities in both countries. I also ended up attending a commemorative event of the Rwandan Genocide where I was privileged to hear personal testimonies from survivors of the Genocide. These other experiences gave me some more background on what it was like for people in this region and the impact colonization had on ethnicity and violence.

Society creates so many stereotypes about people that we categorize them and judge them before we even talk and learn more about them, but through this method, students will not only learn about authentic perspectives from people of various cultures, but perhaps students will be able to learn this skill and apply this to personal interactions with people, so they can be democratic citizens who are making a difference in the world by being more understanding and empathetic too. To encourage students to think about how learning this applies to them, I ask some questions in my example in order to have the students think critically about the material being relayed to them. Through this, I hope students will learn how to effectively learn about people who are different than them and learn to appreciate differences people have.

Example Interview Questions

What are values that are important in your culture?
What are some important historical moments?
What languages are spoken there?
What is the predominant religion?
Is the culture more individualistic or family-oriented?
What are people there called? ex. Americans
What is the dominant profession?
What profession is most revered?
What are positive things about your country?
Negative things?
What is the geography/climate like? What types of resources are there?
What is your country/culture known for?
What are misconceptions about your country/culture?
What do you want people not from your country/culture to know about?
What cultures are in your country?
How does it compare to the U.S.?
What do people usually do for fun?
What is the education system like?
Are there many Americans there?
What is the standard of living like?
What holidays or celebrations are important?
What is the relationship of the people and the government?
How do people greet each other?
Are there tensions between certain groups of people?
What type of government is there?
What do traditional homes look like?
Is there a traditional dress?
Is there a traditional dance?
Is there a major wealth gap?
What is crime and violence like there?
What is the impact of the military on society?
Are there any major current events going on currently?
What is the country's/culture's relationship with the U.S.?

The Culture of Burundi:

An Example

Geography

Burundi is a mountainous, landlocked country in East Africa.

Rwanda, a country with a similar history, is the small country north of Burundi.

How would geography affect their way of life? How does it affect your way of life?

People

A majority of people, around 85%, are subsistence farmers -- relying mostly on yams and beans.

Unfortunately, there are low rates of education since there are not many educational opportunities for Burundians. Plus, if a family can't feed their children, then children will work instead of go to school in order to acquire food. If families are able to send their children to school, the quality is not very high, since the people who can afford it send their children to private schools and more resources get sent there instead of the public schools.

There are also low chances of getting a job after university since there is such a high unemployment rate; many jobs desired and available come from the government, but one needs connections to certain political parties in order to get hired.

What jobs are most desired by you/Americans? Does that reflect your/American values?

People

People in Burundi are highly community/family oriented. Talking with my friend, the biggest challenge for him coming to the U.S. was how unfriendly people seemed be compared to people back home in Burundi.

Religion, family, sports (especially soccer), and entertainment are highly valued by the people from Burundi, and many of these values are expressed through what being "successful" means to them. Success for the people of Burundi means having money, power, and being able to give back to the community.

The languages spoken most often there are Kirundi, French, Swahili, and a minority of English. The major religion is Catholicism, with some practicing Protestantism and Islam.

What are values of the U.S. and how do they compare to those of Burundi? Why do you think they are similar or different?

How do your values compare to American values?

Economy

While most of the people rely on subsistence farming, the nation also relies on farming. Not usually widely known, Burundi is known for its coffee growing. Since Burundi doesn't have the resources in order to transform coffee grains or have a brand name for coffee, they give their coffee grains to other countries.

What does the U.S. rely on the most?

History

Pre-colonial Burundi was a place of harmony. The people made up a single ethnic group - sharing a common language and culture that flourished in the region.

Burundi was ruled by a King, and the King was a symbol of unity for the kingdom. Drums were also a symbol of unity for a country, especially since they would only be played in the presence of the King. Drums continue to be such a major symbol of unification because "when people drum, no one thinks about the historical problems" and tensions they have with one another. Drums are played during festivities and "happy moments" so people don't have time to think about such tension. Burundian drums continue to be a major aspect of Burundian culture and tradition, and like in the pictures, they are often showcased at weddings.

Historically, there were two main occupations for Burundians: farmers or pastoralists (aka. cattle herders). Farmers were called Hutus while cattle herders were called Tutsis. Tutsis were considered to be more wealthy since cows symbolized wealth. These categories of "farmer" and "herder" were fluid. If Hutus gathered enough wealth, people could become herders and then be considered Tutsi; it was like a career change.

The pictures represent traditional aspects of Burundian culture: traditional dance, decoration, clothing, drums, family life, festivities like weddings, etc.

What traditions are important to you/Americans?

History

When Belgium came to both Burundi and Rwanda to colonize, they also brought their pre-existing desires for hierarchy. To have an ally and more easily rule over Burundians, the Belgians divided the people of Burundi based on occupation. Seeing that the Tutsis were taller and healthier due to their wealth and different occupation conditions, the Belgians decided that the Tutsis (the herders) would be more highly ranked and considered superior to the Hutus. This distinction divided the single ethnic group into two ethnic groups: Tutsis and Hutus -- they were no longer just job descriptions but ethnic identifiers. After this distinction was created by the Belgians, the identification of "Hutu" and "Tutsi" became static and unchangeable since it was now described as their ethnicity, despite having the same culture and language.

After independence from Belgium in 1962, the Tutsis were made to be the rulers with more rights. The Hutus felt betrayed by the Tutsis for siding with the Europeans and demanded more rights, but enjoying power, the Tutsis weren't ready to give up that power; they now would have better access to limited resources, specifically land. To a lesser extent but similarly to Rwanda, Burundi experienced ethnic cleansing due to these social constructs of ethnicity that the Europeans had created.

How can we relate this reluctancy to give up power to the U.S. today?

How does your ethnicity affect your place or future career in U.S. society?

This meaningless physical distinction between people who were deemed Hutu and Tutsi was a tool used by the European colonizers to divide and rule over Burundi and Rwanda to their benefit.

Ethnicity

Today, Africa still has a myriad of ethnicities throughout the continent. The country of Burundi consists of 3 main ethnic groups: the Hutus, the Tutsis, and the Twa. The Hutus make up roughly 80% of the population, the Tutsi's roughly 20%, while the Twa make up roughly 1%.

How does your culture compare to American culture? Are they synonymous with one another?

Current Events

When I asked by friend about a notable current event, he mentioned the amazing and inspiring Francine Niyonsaba. Niyonsaba is a star of Burundi; having competed in both international competitions as well as the Olympics, her medals and wins have made Burundi proud. Being a woman from humble, poor backgrounds, she is an inspiration for younger people and girls in particular. She has taught young people that they just need to push themselves beyond their limits and that it is possible to make it through tough times.

Reflection

My interview allowed me to gain some trusted insight about what it meant to be from Burundi. My class lecture gave me some increased background about why such violence between ethnic groups even existed; the credible lecture from political scientists studying intrastate war allowed me to trust such research that could easily be biased. The commemoration ceremony allowed me to hear testimonies from people who first handedly experienced such violence in Rwanda. While Burundi did not experience the same extent of killing in such a short time, Burundi also faced much violence due to this increased tension between ethnic groups.

Through such research, I think I have been able to be more understanding and empathetic towards people from Burundi and even a bit towards people from Rwanda too. While I have heard only a portion of perspectives, gaining some kind of insight through professional research and personal experiences and testimonies allows people to be more understanding of why someone does what they do or why they value certain things.

As citizens of the U.S., I also want my students to appreciate this effort of understanding and perspective-taking because of how imperative it is for people to converse, appreciate, and sometimes compromise with not only their families and communities but also with people all over the world. In an increasingly globalized world, we need people to understand that culture can play a huge part in creating our values and experiences. I also hope to encourage my students to use such skills by doing their own similar project and hopefully transferring those skills outside of school and into their lives.