No shame.

There is one thing which I have found painstakingly noticeable in different fields in Africa: in politics, in the toilet, on the dancefloor or in daily human contacts. People are not ashamed of almost anything.

This is something especially peculiar for an average Finn, who is basically afraid to do anything out of norms, feeling ashamed most of the time. ("Mitähän minustakin ajatellaan?") I still feel somewhat uncomfortable when people stare at me, while dancing in public, for example - and after all this time here, I still don't feel the sudden urge to jump on the stage and perform a solo dance while a group is playing on the background. Here people tend to do that without any difficulties at all. It is not considered odd to be dancing alone in a discotheque, neither. If you have the need to dance, just go ahead!

When it comes to toilet behaviour, that is not a taboo neither. You can do it pretty much anywhere and anytime you want. Most do it by the road, in Grand-Popo very often on the beach. When I asked for a possible toilet on the border of Togo and Burkina, a friendly woman from my bus pointed towards the bush and said: "We normally just go there. Or are you ashamed? We are not ashamed, we are used to that. And you know, toilets are often dirty." It's true: quite often I'd prefer the bush for the toilets here. The de luxe models have actual toilet seats and water to flush with. The extra de luxe models (very rare) have even toilet paper and soap! The average toilet is a floor with a hole, or in the worst case just walls around a piece of land. So, it's better to forget your shyness and just head to the bush...

And last, but not least, politicians. Africa is way too famous of its dictators and corrupt politicians, who just don't see anything wrong in stealing government's money and using it to benefit their families. Petty corruption caused by too small salaries is something I can understand, but robbing billions from your own citizens, that one should be ashamed of. In reality, Africa is not poor. Most countries have quite a bunch of natural resources, which are just being exploited by foreign companies. And who gives the right to exploit these riches, no doubt getting their fair share of the profits? Yes, the people with connections and power.

There are a few things that people avoid doing, though. One night I was in a bar in Bobo-Dioulasso, and the young escort who was with me said: "You know, most of these women here are prostitutes." I was like: "How do you recognize them?". Answer: "Well, if they were girlfriends of those guys, they would not be touching each other like that. Women are not supposed to touch men in public." Touching here meant caressing the other's back, for example, nothing too daring.

The conception of shame and morality is thus culturally determined, and sometimes a very delicate issue. Having a bit less shame is a good thing, to let yourself loose a bit, but not too excessively. Just look at the dictators: most of them have had a dirty end, sooner or later...oh, by the way coming up soon: a post about West African dictators!