'I'm a French-speaking Belgian citizen living in Switzerland, originally from Rwanda.'
Umulisa carries herself with a rare, unaffected elegance and grace at the age of 20. It took great effort for me to keep the interview under 40 minutes as I was constantly tempted to ask digressive questions about the infinitely fascinating details of her life. What truly draws me to her, however, is her unwavering sense of self, which is evidently rooted in compassion and kindness. Listen for yourself, here, in a select clip of the interview.
Can you tell me where you grew up? Which nations do you identify with?
"I was born in Belgium actually, and I lived there until I was 7. I'm a Belgian citizen. Afterwards, I moved to Switzerland, where I am a permanent resident. I identify as Rwandan, but ethnicity is important in Rwanda. There are the Hutus and the Tutsis. My parents identify more with the specific ethnicity of Tutsi, as opposed to just 'Rwandan,' because of the Rwandan genocide [during which the Hutu militia and citizens attempted to exterminate the Tutsis]."
What do you usually say when someone asks you where you’re from? Does it depend on where you are?
"It absolutely depends on where I am. For example in high school, I would say Rwanda, because my high school was very international and everyone was open-minded. But in California, I always said Switzerland. It was more difficult to explain my identity to people in the United States. I think I preferred to say that I was from Switzerland because I felt that there were all these stereotypes about Africa, mainly that people seem to see Africa as one country. But I am happy to fight these notions and I do as much as I can. On the other hand, in Rwanda, some people may see me as a westerner. Some have called me an 'oreo,' saying that I am white inside, which is offensive because it is denying me my identity."
Which country is 'home' to you currently and why?
"Home is… actually I don’t know. I would say both Rwanda and Switzerland because they are home to me in different ways. Switzerland is more my base. When I left Claremont, my first destination was Switzerland; it’s where my parents are and it’s where I feel most comfortable. But Rwanda makes me feel at home in a different way. I have a house there as well and it is also where — I mean I look around and everyone looks like me. And my extended family is there, so it’s a different kind of comfort, one that gives me a sense of belonging and community. But then again, because I don’t speak the language, that sense of belonging is not to the fullest extent. And also because I lived abroad my whole life."
What do people find most surprising about you?
"In California, my entire background seemed to surprise people. People would act mind-blown sometimes when I would tell them 'Yeah I am from Switzerland and I speak French, but I am from Rwanda originally.' Or just seeing an African that isn’t wearing African garb, like in Black Panther, seemed to surprise people because, to them, if you’re not African-American, that’s the only other option, you know what I mean?"
"Just the conflict of being black in America without being African-American was a big identity crisis on its own."
When did you realize you were a third culture individual? How did it change your life? Listen to Umu's answer, here.
"I learned the term when I was in Claremont Mckenna College, which I am very thankful for. When I googled the term, I realized I was the embodiment of that definition, and it really changed my [self-identity]. Because for me, I always had an identity crisis; there is the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda. I am a Tutsi and Tutsis were often seen as the
'foreigners' to the Hutus but also to the surrounding countries in east/central Africa. So we were always told to go back to the north, you know the 'horn of Africa,' such as Ethiopia or Somalia, and we were kind of the black sheep of the entire region.
Even in high school, in boarding school, it was nice to see African people but unfortunately sometimes you cannot be as close to them as you’d like to be because you don’t know how their countries feel about your specific identity as Tutsis. But the thing is I feel that this internal dilemma is something my parents ingrained in me because I think the younger generation responds differently, especially if they grew up abroad. It is just something that is in my head sometimes.
My siblings and I, we try to really get ingrained into pan-Africanism, and really not see each other as the black sheep any more or as other people used to call us, the 'black Jews' of Africa. That’s what they used to call us. And we are trying to get rid of this mentality, because we have so many friends from different parts of Africa. While we respect our parents’ experiences and etcetera, our own thinking are different, and so we want to expand.
Also, knowing that I was third culture affected me because it helped me to know that there were more people like me. Just the conflict of being black in America without being African-American was a big identity crisis on its own. And even in Rwanda, I don’t really feel fully, fully Rwandan because I don’t speak the language, so just having a term for what we are, what my family is, it really helps clear things up a bit."
Where do you feel most accepted?
"Within my own family of six. So my nuclear family is where I feel the most accepted. Because we are all the same. My parents as well, they grew up as third culture individuals and there’s no one I can relate to more. My mom was born in Burundi and raised in Ethiopia and New York, because my grandfather was an ambassador. My dad was born in Belgium like me but then moved to Congo, which was called Zaire at the time. Afterwards, he lived in Switzerland."
[Mr. and Mrs. Gahiga]
"And I am even more comfortable with my siblings than my parents because we don’t have that generation gap, which is pretty big in Rwanda especially in the way we view and understand the Rwandan genocide. You know, there are different memories of the pain, the residual pain…"
What are some wonderful aspects of being TCK?
"I’d say it’s the way we can relate to just about anyone. We can connect with just about anyone. I don’t know if you relate with me on this but [in a college setting] I connect with other international Rwandans like me, and if I meet other Africans, we still have more in common than the rest of our environment, so I relate to them. And then I will relate to international students in general, because we have that connection. Even Americans, we’d be intrigued by each other, because we barely know anything about each other. So I feel that this factor of being able to have a connection with just about anyone because of how culturally enriching our background is, is a blessing, I think."
What is your wish for other third culture individuals?
"I hope that they feel … Like I said, I didn’t feel fully ingrained in my own community in Claremont McKenna College, but then again, I’ve never felt fully ingrained in any community. Maybe apart from the international community. I hope that there will be spaces for third culture kids to be together. I think it is so important that we talk to each other because we have more in common than we think."
Thank you, Umu, for this educational interview. 07.14.19
Interview from Switzerland. Parts of this interview have been edited for clarity and/or as points of correction from the interviewee.
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