One example that she gives to back up this statement has to do with the French public education system. She states that the sons and daughters of African immigrants are told that the can enjoy the same ranks as any other citizen, but in reality that is not what they feel, according to Loretta Bass.

She found in her research that African immigrant families live in isolation from the rest of French society. She states, this has caused them to have an identity crisis. She would hear the comments like this from young they young people, “I’m French on the inside, African on the out.”

Loretta Bass this is true for roughly 1.8 million people who were easily identified by their dark skin and were part of families who immigrated to France from Sub-Saharan African countries. She further maintains this by stating, “In France “[being black is] a special category, definitely … Over and over again in my interviews, people would talk about the puissance de la peau … ‘the power of skin.’”

Many of the children of Sub-Saharan immigrants are treated as outsiders by French Society causing them to internalize their sense of otherness. Loretta Bass states, this happens because people are continuously asking them where they are from and when they state France they once again ask them, where are you from? So, they state they are from Africa, even if they have never been to Africa. One woman told Loretta Bass, “‘My kids have not even been to Africa. But you ask them where they’re from, and they’ll tell you they’re from Guinea.’”

Bass states, this is much more than an identity crisis for many immigrant families. The hardships the immigrants face is the complete opposite of what they learn the French national values to be, which are liberty, equality and fraternity.

Things need to change so that everyone in France, regardless of their status, knows the true meaning of liberty, equality and fraternity.

©EthLeen

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Women are married into a family

Marrying a Tanzanian man implies that the woman is married to the man’s extended family. The woman becomes one among siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and other distant relatives. The brothers of the husband are by extension husbands of the newly-wed woman (although not in the sexual sense) and must be obeyed and respected. In essence, the woman should expect conflict since some of these relatives may make unrealistic demands on her.

In the words of John Azu in Allafrica.com: “Marriage cannot be complete without in-laws. In fact in-laws are an essential part of your spouse’s life and by extension, your life. Perhaps they are a crucial string required to pull your family into harmony as a result of our African culture which emphasizes on building bridges of extended relations.”

The husband is loyal to the family

In a typical traditional Tanzanian set up, the husband will take the side of the extended family whenever there is a conflict. The woman is expected to follow suit. This implies that a woman who disagrees with her husband does not expect much support from her adopted family.

Children belong to the extended family

Tanzanian children belong to the larger family. All children a woman bears are regarded as children of their uncles, just as woman married into a family becomes a mother to the children of her husband’s siblings. This gives in-laws the right to discipline children and guide them in life. For example, aunts are very instrumental in bringing up their nieces.

Changing times

According to The African Seer, “In recent years, modern life, industry, and cities have brought changes to African marriages and to the roles of men and women.” In-laws are losing their influence as nuclear families become more independent. But one thing is sure: Tanzanian in-laws will always find time to visit nuclear families of their relatives and stay for as long as they wish!

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