Author Archives: Katie Wongthipkongka

Joke – Gaborone, Botswana

Nationality: Motswana
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 26, 2008
Primary Language: English

So David Beckham is chilling with his wife Victoria. He says to her, “You know, we need to move to somewhere other than England.” So she’s like, “Oh yeah, we do need to move.” So Beckham was like, “Ok we have three choices: Spain, Sri Lanka, or Romania.” Victoria’s like, “Romania? Why, that’s so far!” So Beckham’s like, “No! Not Romania! Remain ‘ere!”

Ruchira first heard this joke when he was around the age of eighteen from his friend Eden Kiravu. Both Ruchira and Eden grew up in Gaborone, Botswana. So Ruchira has an accent, but he said that this particular joke required an English accent for the dialogue parts. He said that the joke only works when the person telling it imitates David Beckham’s accent and voice because he has such a distinct voice. It is actually more of a mockery than an imitation of David Beckham’s voice because he has such a feminine one. Ruchira said that he believes that it was a classic joke back in the day, but as he looks back and reflects he thinks to himself, “Damn, I can’t believe I thought that was funny.”

This joke has the motif of the number three within it. Beckham lists three places that Victoria can choose to live. It also pokes fun at David Beckham and Victoria, who celebrity status individuals. This may be because people are jealous of the fame and wealth that the celebrities have and, therefore, make fun of their flaws, which in this case is Beckham’s voice and accent. Also, this joke would probably be more effective and entertaining in areas that are more familiar with David Beckham and the world of soccer. Soccer is a larger part of the culture in Botswana than it is in America. Although people know Beckham’s name and face, many in America have not heard him speak. Therefore, this joke would have only been funny to a certain extent because many Americans are unfamiliar with his voice. This separates the soccer fans and followers from the non-soccer fan group.

Tradition – Botswana

Nationality: Motswana
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 26, 2008
Primary Language: English

So at traditional weddings we have to kill an entire cow. Dowry is dealt with in number of cows. For example, if two people are getting married, the man pays a certain number of cows for the bride. And at funerals it’s more like a celebration. We also kill a number of cows for funerals. The president of Botswana just retired. So at every village, city, or town that he went to they gave him a cow from each place.

Ruchira said that all of these traditions show the importance of cows in the culture of Botswana. According to Ruchira, other than diamonds, cows are the second biggest part of their economy. Historically, cows are also a really important part of life because they were how people sustained life. They did this through the trading of cows. They traded them as a commodity instead of using money. It has been a recent development for the people to sell cows to meat companies for money, and cows are very valuable. Ruchira roughly estimates that cows can reach up to two thousand dollars in value.

In Botswana, cows have remained a symbol of wealth through time. The more cows an individual owns, the wealthier he or she is considered to be. People of the villages know who is wealthy by word of mouth and by just noticing the number of cows that a person owns. In the past, Botswana was mostly rural, and the people viewed cows as investments in the sense that they can provide milk, meat, and labor power. The people invested in cows rather than deposit money at the bank. Ruchira feels that this is logical and that cows are more beneficial than money in the bank. He said that nowadays people in Botswana keep cows mainly to maintain tradition, and people still maintain the traditional view that cows and diamonds equate to wealth.

Besides a difference in economy, the concept of dowry is also different between Motswana and American culture. According to Ruchira’s account, the groom pays the dowry in Botswana; while in America, the dowry is traditionally provided by the family of the bride. Also, Botswana’s preservation of the tradition of keeping cows as a sign of wealth ties into the idea of maintaining an identity. Although the people of Botswana actually sustained life with the ownership of cows in the past, people continue to carry out the tradition during modern times to preserve this part of their identity.

Belief – Indonesia

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 30, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Indonesian

So like there are these small little demons in Indonesia that run around and like steal things. They’re not really humans – I forgot their name – I think it’s like Tukul. But like they’re really small, like half the size of a human. And people like raise them with Black magic and they steal money and things from other people for them. Then the people pay them blood in return. A lot of people I know have seen them. So they’re real. I haven’t seen any though, no. They are really common in the kampongs – the villages. They have red eyes and they’re really scary. They look like naked toddlers but they’re not.

Elizabeth admits that she believes in Black magic, and she believes that it is very frightening. She repeated her fear many times and emphasized the scariness of Black magic. However, she feels that if a person does not tamper with the subject, the person should not be harmed. She said that she learned most of her knowledge of Black magic when she was very young from her maids that raised her in Indonesia. She grew up with these dark notions and horror stories. She specifically mentioned that they were Muslim, which is common for maids in Indonesia. Also, she is convinced that all of her maids could “see stuff,” meaning they felt the lingering of spirits and knew when Black magic was present. When asked if she feels that Muslims tend to believe more in Black magic, she responded that she believes Asian cultures generally tend to believe in this type of matter and actually practice it more than Western cultures. According to Elizabeth, Western cultures are more modern and have an attitude and mindset that “I can do something about it,” while Asian cultures tend to be more spiritual, religious, and submissive. This causes Asian cultures to be more susceptible to belief in these types of subjects.

The belief in these demons that was expressed by Elizabeth resides in the realm of witchcraft and magic. It is considered magic because the people actually engage in actions. It can also be considered folk belief because the existence of these creatures has not been scientifically proven. Despite how widely and strongly this belief resonates within Indonesian culture, it is still a belief nonetheless. Yet, this belief greatly affects the mindset and everyday lives of the people.

Superstition – Chinese

Nationality: Taiwanese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Thai, Taiwanese

After a funeral you have to go to somewhere else before you go home so the spirits don’t follow you home. I think it’s like a Chinese thing – like a superstition.

Wilson explained that he has had to stop by another location before heading home after every funeral he has ever attended with his parents. He believes that Chinese people generally believe this. His interpretation of the belief is that the purpose of the extra stop is to “throw off the spirits.” This idea can be considered more of a folk belief rather than a superstition because it is a belief that has not been scientifically proven to be true but it is not tied to magic and does not involve either looking for signs in the universe or reversing something that has been broken. His deeming it a superstition shows how closely related these terms are and how people generally use the terms superstition, belief, and magic interchangeably.

This belief reveals that regardless of the ties that the people have to the deceased, they do not want the spirit to follow them or stay with them. This goes along with the concept that people are supposed to move on in the afterlife rather than linger among and shadow the living. There is also a fear of the spirits that drives people to continue this practice. Wilson mentioned that any place will suffice. For example, his parents and he have stopped by a supermarket before, a Starbucks, and simply anything convenient at the time. In Sunnyvale, CA where he was raised, there are plenty of convenient places to visit instead of leading the spirit home with them.

Superstition – Bombay, India

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 11, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Hindu, Gujarati, Marthi

If you sleep with your bed facing a mirror at night it’s considered bad luck because all the bad that you’ve done reflects back on you.

This was one of the many superstitions that Tanvi had learned as a young girl growing up in Bombay, India. She said she was about five or six years old when her parents told her this. This can be considered a superstition because she was engaging in a superstitious act, or the lack thereof, and it can also be considered folk belief because it has not been scientifically proven. She explained that the belief was that the bad things that a person has done that day or just in life in general may bounce from the mirror back to the person. This would cause more bad things to happen to the person.

She has also learned many other beliefs very similar to this one growing up. Several examples are: do not touch feet to books without asking for forgiveness or do not leave the house for a journey without consuming a mixture of yogurt and sugar or else something bad is going to happen. Tanvi’s parents strictly followed these beliefs in order to generate as much good luck as possible. Good luck and good karma are important aspects of life to her family and generally in India as well. Whether Tanvi believes this or not is irrelevant and unimportant because her parents force her to participate in these folk beliefs.  Therefore, they have become a normal part of her life and she follows most of these beliefs automatically now.