Country guides
“Fungua tuone yaliomo” – Gift giving
Tanzanian families sing “Fungua tuone yaliomo” to persuade kids to open their gifts. But only kids open presents in front of others. Once you’re grown up you understand that to respect each other’s feelings you do not unpack gifts in the presence of others but close family.
When I first came to the Netherlands I did give a Dutch friend a present and to my utter surprise she unpacked it straight away! As a Tanzanian, I was surprised because in my home country we normally don’t unpack gifts in front of others. We try to respect each other’s status (poor and rich) by not revealing the content of the gift. I was thinking “Is she eager to find out what exactly she received from Africa?” But later I came to realise that opening a gift straight away is one of the Dutch customs. While in my country, expressing differences in appreciation may cause embarrassment to others… We strongly strive to prevent this and that’s why we will not open a gift in front of others.
Salma Dollah, Tanzanian national, living in the Netherlands
Photography: © Eric Sijbrands/Expertise in Labour Mobility.
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