We divide this question because men and women can experience discrimination differently. The first portion of the answer is the opinion of Tuuli Saarela. After Tuuli's opinion is an addendum by Nathaniel Calhoun.
 

The color of my skin affects how I am treated in certain regions more than others. In some big cities like Accra, Ghana, people are used to seeing multi-colored development workers and tourists on a daily basis. There people do not tend to treat me differently because of the color of my skin or because of my gender. In fact, much of the time, gender is a non-issue. But when I visit more traditional places in Africa, things sometimes get a little more confusing. The types of behaviors that I am used to demonstrating could, for a local woman, warrant a certain amount of social stigmatization. When I act in ways that are reserved for men, it invites astonishment from local people.

For example, I have been treated unkindly by border officials who don't think that I should communicate on behalf of the group. It doesn't matter to them that I am communicating in clearer French than my travel companions. They are not used to having a woman address them, let alone challenge them. Some men in heavily religious areas will even refuse to shake my hand in greeting, which sometimes hurts my feelings. But it probably shouldn't. In contrast to these experiences, there are other times when men that I am interacting with think that it is great that I am speaking to them so candidly. They seem delighted by the novelty of the situation.

It can also be difficult when I hear men voicing their opinion that women are the "weaker sex." It is not infrequent for someone to launch into a woman-bashing speech that lasts several minutes. I have to breathe deeply when I hear this and fight a reaction. Along the way, I have learned to relax and allow certain men to express their opinions. I let them know that I think they are wrong and then I change the subject. Their opinion has nothing to do with me. Many men in the west also hold this opinion and I do not give them the opportunity to change my conception of self. What do you think is the best form of response to prejudicial statements about gender that are made both inside and outside of your cultural context?

My reactions of hurt to these incidences are personal. They are based on my experience as a western woman and they are influenced by a western conviction that I should protest such incidences. But do these instances warrant the conclusion that traditional African women have "fewer rights"? I may perceive that women in Africa have fewer rights to their bodies, their marriages, or their personal freedoms. But how could I begin to understand the overall condition of women in these places? What does "freedom of choice" mean to them? Are marriages more miserable because they are arranged? Do women farmers really want to step out of their gender roles and work in jobs that are more physical? How are women's rights different in Africa and in the United States? Which freedoms have women fought for and achieved in the United States? Do you think these freedoms are culturally relevant to African women?

I should add that I demonstrate traditionally aggressive qualities, which often attracts a lot of male attention. I am not modest, I am not afraid to speak, and I am unmarried at 26. Men tend to hit on me. Sometimes they suppose that I am sexually liberated and that I want to be free with them. This is hurtful because I sometimes feel that I am only considered in a sexualized way. But this is a part of being a woman anywhere around the world, so I don't make too much of it.

While I have shared some of my experiences as a woman I should reiterate that in the every day, these issues rarely come up. While women in traditional areas would not normally drink beer, wear pants, and travel around with two men, the color of my skin explains this behavior in me. It is accepted that western culture is different. Shouldn't I have the same respect? I have opted to have a fundamental respect for things that I do not fully understand. And I have learned to be careful about imposing reactionary value judgments on a culture that is not mine.

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An addendum by Nathaniel Calhoun:
 

I should elaborate on what Tuuli referred to as "an additional ounce of respect and regard." We are the beneficiaries of some very helpful prejudices. On average, white people in Africa are spectacularly more wealthy and more powerful than the citizens of Africa among whom they live; we are also perceived as being very well-connected, especially to our governments. As long as a white person presents him or herself with sufficient poise and authority—greatly assisted by markers of wealth such as sharper clothing, expensive accessories, and a nice car—he or she is likely to be given much more respect and many more liberties than an average African. Our team benefits from this form of discrimination every time that we show up unannounced for an interview with people of high rank, such as Hospital Directors, Program Coordinators for large NGOs, or media personnel. With no exception, people assume that we ought to be accommodated and give us as much time and documentation as we require, often along with generous hospitality and solicitude.

In a similar vein, it is not uncommon for a white person that enters an organization in Africa to be automatically installed above Africans, regardless of their level of experience or years of service to the organization. Sometimes white people are trotted around as figureheads in schools or companies because they are supposed to add legitimacy to an enterprise; other times white people are simply granted absurd amounts of trust and given very little supervision. Which of these prejudices and opportunities would you feel comfortable taking advantage of and why? (If you are a well-educated African American you receive, in the workforce and after you open your mouth and start speaking, a similar level of respect. The prejudice is only reliably harmful to native Africans.)

Naturally, some people resent the presence of white people in Africa; but very few of them show this resentment in the face of random white visitors. We receive approximately none of that hostility because of the way that we travel. When we are not dressing to impress and trying to bluff our way into the boardrooms and executive offices of massive organizations, we dress to avoid attention and eat and lodge as locally as possible. The only unpleasant discrimination that we face regularly comes in the form of African hesitancy to put sufficient hot pepper in our food because they think we can't handle it and a hesitancy to recommend us to truly local restaurants because they feel that we should be directed to tourist establishments.

I am expecting our skin color to be a bigger problem in South and Eastern Africa.



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