I didn’t realize how much different amounts of melanin in our skin can cause comparison and division in today’s world. Maybe that is because I live in such a diverse environment back in the U.S. or maybe it’s because I am a minority for the first time in my life. Through the different culture of Swazi, God has been showing me that we are all equal in his eyes, he thinks each one of us is gorgeous, no matter our skin color, because God doesn’t look at outward appearance and he also can’t create something ugly.
Here are some short snippets of situations that have occurred within our first month here in Swazi.
As we stood in a grocery store, one of the workers said to Liz, “if I was white I would marry you, but I’m black, so maybe we could make it work.”
Sitting on a bench next to a sweet young girl she said “your arm is white” and I said “yes.” She responded “But mine is black” and I said “yes and we can still be good friends.”
Preface: it’s very rude in the Swazi culture to stare at people
As our team of 6 sat in a koumbi (local transportation) a man got in the front and just stared at us. We said hello but he just kept looking at us and said “so pretty, so beautiful” and we just sat there not making eye contact waiting for our stop.
As me and a little Swazi girl were holding hands she pointed to my skin and said “beautiful”. I then pointed to her hand and said “beautiful” she looked at me with confused eyes, and I responded with “we are beautiful together.”
As we made ou way towards the back of a large coach sized bus as we would wave to people ass we were being squeezed throug the asiles they would smile and wave obnoxiously,mocking us ad our mannerisms. Laughs would exit their bodies as we would say hello and good morning.
Our skin color doesn’t define what we can do, how we can do it, or who we are as people. Our identity isn’t found in our skin. Our identity, value, and worth is given to us by our loving father. Nobody besides him can give us our identity. It is hard at times when people treat us differently simply because of our skin color, in the way they greet us, talk to us and show us respect. No matter our skin color we are simply people who are children of the one true king, and nothing more, nothing less. We are so beautiful together.
