Prejudice

View over French Island capital

During the month of fasting, its difficult to keep our normal schedules.  We’ve tried in the past to teach classes but have found student attendance to dwindle and those who come to class are too tired to concentrate, so we’ve given up teaching classes during this month.  The one exception is our English Club.  Out of a sense of continuity we like to keep it going even during this month, but since we can expect a low attendance and late starts, we’ve taken to watching a film during this time and using it as a platform for discussion.

This year we decided to use just a single film clip and watch it every week and then use it for different topics of discussion.  We decided to use a clip from the classic film, “12 Angry Men”.  If you’ve never seen this film, it’s a good one.  In one scene one of the characters reveals a deeply held prejudice about immigrants.  He rants and raves about how good-for-nothing they are.  This is the clip we used.  (If you want to watch the scene, click here.)

So, using the clip as a starting point, we began to talk about prejudice.  It was interesting to hear our students’ responses.  First of all, many were unconvinced that prejudice was a bad thing.  They had two reasons for this.  Their first point was that stereotypes help us know what to expect from different groups. They said, if you know that a group of people tends to be a certain way, then you will be on your guard and not taken by surprise. Their second point was that prejudice might be a catalyst for positive change. As an example, they pointed to the small island and how everyone thinks that people from that island are stupid (the small island has historically had the least developed educational system). “But now the small island  is working harder to learn and become intelligent.” “Or take the airport town, everyone there is greedy and mean. They don’t share,” they explained to us. “Maybe they will hear that everyone thinks this about them and they will get angry, but then they will realize it is true and they will want to change.”

We realized that as Africans, the idea of grouping people together and individuals bearing their community’s reputation was not an uncomfortable idea. Thinking communally is normal for them. So we were intrigued, but a little disappointed by their answers. We wanted them to see the injustice of prejudice, but they kept coming up with examples of people they were prejudiced against and basically defending why their prejudice was justified or how it was founded on fact. We needed to think of another example that they could understand, that would place them on the other side of prejudice.

Our kids on our short French Island visit

Then we remembered the French Island. On the French Island, Clove Islanders are seen as a social menace. They are primarily illegal immigrants and are blamed for all the societal ills.  Crimes, gangs, overcrowded schools, overburdened hospitals are all blamed on Clove Islanders.

We asked our Clove Island friends at our English club, “Is it true that Clove Islanders are liars and thieves?” Of course, they vehemently denied this characterization, while at the same time recognizing that this was how they were stereotyped on the French Island.  By the time we finally got them to understand this ugly side of prejudice we were already overtime.  We left them with the final challenging thought: If you don’t like how people talk about Clove Islanders over there, how do you think little islanders feel when you call them stupid?  We’re not sure they really understood.  I would not call empathy a strong trait among the young people who attend our English Club.  We’ll watch the clip again on Wednesday and see what, if anything sank in.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The month of fasting always gives us opportunities for sharing.  Tom found himself in front of a captive audience at the bank this past week when the bank security guard wanted to know if he fasted.  About ten people got to hear about the Kingdom of Light that day.  Tom continues to have good meetings with his friends.  Megan was able to explain some things with a difficult neighbor.  We are thankful for opportunities that we get at this time of year.  Megan’s parents are feeling much better and starting to heal from their surgeries.  We are thankful to have this opportunity to be mutually encouraged by our friends and colleagues on the French Island for the brief visit we have had this week.


PRAYERS REQUESTED
One of the men Tom meets with is hoping to have a dream about the Light.  Join us in praying that he receives it.  Our sister, Elewa has been sick with pain and fever.  Pray for her quick recovery.  We have been hearing about some of the challenges of working on the French island from our friends.  Pray for openings and interest among a whole people who seem both uninterested and unwilling to listen.