A Ugandan’s Painful Experience of Being Lumped Into The Same Group As West Africans — An Essay on the Generalization of Stereotypes

I have previously written about my time spent with a Nigerian uber driver in Glasgow (you can read the full story here), while he was driving me and my wife to the airport. During that time, he told us of his thoughts of Dubai, and it was apparent that he had an overgeneralized thought about what happens to Nigerians in Dubai. His assumption was that Nigerians were treated horribly in Dubai, where the women were turned into prostitutes, and the Men were abused in their labor. However, once I told him of the many Nigerians I know in Dubai who work in different jobs from baristas to office work, I recognized in his attitude a shift. It might not be that his opinion has changed, but I like to think that I was able to open his mind and reduce his overgeneralized opinion regarding the status of migrants in Dubai.

I recognize that generalization is a human thing to do. Unfortunately, it has become completely normal to generalize the actions of a few towards the entire demographic that they are a part of. For a long time now, Muslims have been viewed as terrorists due to the actions of a few. Indians are seen as dirty and smelly. Black people are seen as lazy, incompetent, and violent. White people cannot handle spicy food and have bland taste. These are just a few of the stereotypes that we generalize about people before we get to know them. And despite the fact that these stereotypes are harmful, we continue the practice of generalization towards certain groups of people more than others.

As a Muslim, I have seen many times the effects that generalization can have on me during my travels. People often assume that I am closed minded and approach a conversation with me with a certain caution. I have known Muslim women who have personally experienced this as well, where they have been approached with a tone of reservation due to wearing the hijab, while their non-Hijabi friends are approached with a more friendly manner despite also being Muslim. This is also part of the conversation about the Politics of Hair (or the Politics of Appearance, in extension).

“The only problem I have is that they think that all Africans are the same, they do not really want to know the difference,” The Ugandan barista was telling me when I asked him about his life in the UAE. “As soon as they see someone Black, they think that we are all troublemakers.” At that instant, I asked him “Do they think that you are West African?” (West Africans have the stereotype of being loud and love partying, while East Africans have the reputation of being quiet and reserved). “Yes, they think we are all like them.” He started talking about how Nigerians would cause problems while renting properties by partying, drinking alcohol and inviting girls to their apartments and destroying the apartment as a result. “The property agency tells me they do not want to rent to me because they think that we Black people are all the same. I wish they would learn the difference.” He continued to tell me how even walking at night, he would get stopped by the police and would be questioned just because he’s Black. “But as soon as they see my residency ID card, they leave me alone.”

While I disagree with the approach that the property agents take of how they generalize and exclude all Africans from renting property, I also disagree with the generalization of all West Africans as loud and rowdy. Yes, that element might be culturally true, however, it can be quite harmful to those who are only trying to enjoy their life peacefully, work hard and send their money back home for the families to prosper.

I think it might be too obvious why we should avoid overgeneralization and stereotypes, but I do remember hearing once in my first year of Undergrad that stereotypes can actually help you. For example, if the stereotype about traveling to a certain country is that you could get robbed, you know that when you go there, you have to be extra careful about your belongings. If you know that a certain country has racist policies and its people are generally supportive of those racist policies, then you know you should avoid traveling there.

However, we cannot really know what things are like without experiencing them ourselves. I have often heard from people who have come to the UAE that before their trips, they were told to be extra careful because you cannot wear certain things and that the police can arrest you for anything, and that women should wear conservative clothing and that even if they go to the beach, they cannot wear swim wear. (I think these stereotypes about the UAE are either outdated from 20 years ago and are being recycled by Western media or that they generalizations about the region as a whole).

Stereotypes–as much as we criticize them–can be true at times, and obviously we shouldn’t generalize them (which is hard to do), but most stereotypes aren’t true and are actually harmful to the people they are about.