adminTafadzwa Zimoyo Recently in Germany
It is true what they say, when two cultures meet, the weaker one disappears. But what happens when more than two cultures meet? A lot can happen when two cultures meet for the first time. The most common thing that happens is that both cultures believe they are better than each other and they try to change the other culture.
Culture is what represents you, what identifies you as a person. Many people know Germany from their history books, from the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and his military exploits. Others know this country as one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturer of the famed Mercedes Benz, BMW and Opel.
More recently, Germany became the talk of virtually every town around the globe for its impressive performance at the Fifa World Cup held in Brazil where they walloped hosts Brazil like school boys and also lifted the coveted cup.
It is hot on the heels of this soccer World Cup record that our Zimbabwean contingent who attended the 13th edition of the World Festival of Children’s Theatre arrived in Lingen, a city in Germany, a totally different environment far away from home.
One thing that made them stand out from the rest was the fact that we were from Africa, something which they derived a lot of pride in, and proudly draped our Zimbabwean flag in a clear sign of who we are.
Our brothers and sisters from Uganda and Burkina Faso also did the same in their own national colours in a sea of representatives from countries that include Belgium, China, Japan, Colombia, Russia, Denmark Canada, Germany, Argentina and Bangladesh.
This was symbolic of the theme of the festival, “Colour Your World”, and indeed, in our different races, skin colour, languages and cultures, we are a “rainbow” global village and through art – in this case theatre – we can transform it for the better. It is surprising that art has the power to unify people and speak in one universal language.
“The most important single ingredient in the formula for success is knowing how to get along with people. Make a name for yourself and don’t wait to strike till the iron is hot but make it hot by striking. We maybe from different tribes, countries and races but there is one God,” someone once said and this aptly suited the spirit and mood.
The Zimbabwe delegation arrived to a cold and wet weather, but nothing could dampen their spirits. If Germans are a fascinating people, then Africans are an intriguing species to them as well and with our counterparts from the other participating countries, we were ushered to the spacious Wald Hotel.
Its ancient, awe-striking buildings and streets are a sight to behold and residents prefer using bicycles as a mode of transport. One thing for sure is after being taken around this beautiful town and also taking time to mix and mingle and exchange gifts, the importance of our culture plays a pivotal role in our lifestyle.
It is often said that there is so much meaning and depth in the power of exchanging gifts, and here we were, people from different corners of the world exchanging tokens that were reflective of our identities and backgrounds. It is often said that when cultures meet, one or some disappear and to say the least, here was one culture that had morphed out of the various blends of people whom God created and in short, we were “colouring our world”.
German food is very exotic, colourful and if you are one who has never spoken German, you find the words somewhat sounding strange and heavy both to the ear and tongue. We had a tough time trying to pronounce them after our language “teacher” of the day, although some must confess that they instantly fell in love with the German cuisine the moment we were offered our first meal.
Although some Zimbabwean children are now having some little bit of catching up on some German phrases and names, we still find the language time-consuming to learn and have made a mental note that when they return home, they will enrol for a few classes in German and learn the language to enable able them to communicate with friends there.
Traditional German food has names like schnitzel, spatsle, wilbenkase and pasta, while fennel tea which they favour is normally taken with bread, rolls, cheese while chocolate is also another favourite of the Germans.
Although it is said that Germans were strict people, what we witnessed about the modern-day Germany is that they are sociable, hospitable and outgoing. This, coupled with our African and specifically Zimbabwean character, was the spirit that was pervasive during our first show held at Theatre an der Wilhelmshohe.
It was a great show and the Chipawo group delivered an electrifying act. The team also had a chance to visit amusement parks, old churches, movie-houses and other places.
Chipawo Zimbabwe’s Chipo Basopo said culture is the way we live, breathe and eat. She expressed satisfaction over how the Zimbabwean culture was appreciated and how it dominated.
“I love to explore and learn other people’s culture and tradition. It brings togetherness, love, peace and appreciation. Having more than 20 countries in one room makes us proud and each country had to make a name of itself by standing with their culture,” she said.
Basopo, who is also a dancer, said only art can unite people. “There are a lot of things that can unite but some cause conflicts and war but when it comes to art we speak the same language. If you can’t dance you can’t. The weaker culture is then diluted by the strong culture,” she said. Davis Brogatga from Russia supported the notion that when two cultures meet the weaker one disappears.
“When people interact that do not share the same background, home town or workplace, there are misunderstandings in language, religious practices, manners of dress or way of eating. Misunderstandings are caused by confusion, hence the culture is diluted. Confidence helps too,” he said.
The Russian arts director said when cultures meet, there is most likely going to be some conflict.
“I do, however, think that conflict can be avoided. If the two cultures are very different from each other, they will almost always have something to disagree about. On the other hand, when two cultures are rather similar, like Canada and the United States or Africa there will most likely not be any conflict. The only reason that I have this opinion is because these two cultures have many, many things in common. For example, the United States and Canada both speak the same language which is English.
“They both have very similar rules for arts and dancing is dancing. This is why I think that conflict is not inevitable but that it really depends on the cultures and their willingness to accept each other,” he noted.
Online Reporter