On Africa Day 2016 the Commission held a commemorative dialogue, titled  “Building a better Africa and a better world” at the SAHRC library.  Gail Smith (HoP: AdvoComm) moderated the discussion between Allan Tumbo (Researcher: Equality) and Anita Agaba Twinomurinzi (Research Associate, Research Programme).

Allan Tumbo - Researcher: Equality
Where were you born and what brought you to South Africa?
I come from Kenya, which is the biggest trading country on the east coast of Africa. I came to South Africa in 1995 with my parents. My father had just qualified as a doctor and came down to South Africa to do his internship.

Is there a food or custom from Kenya that you’d like us to know about?
One thing that people do not know about Kenyans is that we really embrace Indian culture and food. We eat roti and chipati. We also have pap, but Indian food is dominant back home.

Why are Kenyans such amazing distance runners?
I come from a coffee farming family and we live in mountainous area and often the best way of getting around is running. People run to fetch water and getting back. Because Kenya has such high altitude it makes people fit and when they run in low attitude they excel.

When last did you go home?
I was there in 2015 when my father was finishing his marriage to my mother. In my culture you pay lobola over a period of time. Families don’t want you to take their daughter and just disappear. They want to see you constantly so that they can gauge how you are taking care of their daughter. Lobola is paid through goats, cows and alcohol. The family of the bride stipulates when to pay so that you don’t come all at once to finish all at once.

Anita Twinomurinzi - Research Associate, Research Programme
My name is Anita Twinomurinzi. I always say I am a two in one, my mother comes from Rwanda and my father is Ugandan. I have elements of two cultures.

What do you miss more about home?
I really miss the food. We have aspects of Tanzanian and Kenyan food, the biggest being chapatti and the spices from Zanzibar. I am allergic to fish but I can see the smile on people’s faces when they are eating fish. The things I miss the most about home are the culture and family gatherings.

What is a common misconception that South Africans have about foreign nationals?
South Africans are not aware of how blessed they are to live in a country with so much development. Other African countries are not as developed as South Africa, which has advanced infrastructure.  However, the misconception of Africa as a country full of poverty stricken children is wrong. Africa has so much to showcase.

What do you think we as Africans can do to encourage continental unity?
Educating people about what happens in other countries. Emphasise that people have to be tolerant of one another. We are a one big family and it is just the demarcation of borders that have separated us.

Many times when South Africans are speaking their languages I understand what they are saying because it has the same Bantu influence. Uganda has many languages but the official language is English. People also speak Kiswahili but is not as good as it is spoken in Kenya. When South Africans speak in Nguni languages I can understand because there are similarities with our Bantu dialects.

Tell us one interesting thing about Uganda?
In Uganda we use bodaboda (motorbikes) as taxis. The advantage of bodaboda is that they don’t have restrictions regarding routes to take. They even go deep into the villages and are also useful during traffic congestion. The only setback is that they are very fast.