Mzungu!
by Eleanor Parmenter
Walk F was our second walk this summer, we were grateful to be joined on a walk by P.H.O.E.B.E (Promotion of Health, Opportunity, Equality, Benevolence and Empowerment), a Suffolk-based charity which advocates for and supports black and ethnic minority women and children.
Their hard-working staff and volunteers took the opportunity to have some time away from the office to explore Constable country, some of which were their first times visiting the area and first encounter with Constable and his work.
On a cloudy yet bright day, we made our way on a circular route, beginning in Dedham and passing through Flatford and East Bergholt. We passed significant landmarks in Constable’s life including the site where his family home stood and the studio where he brought his sketches to life. Various stops along this route allowed for the chance to interact with the app on the iPads to view the mezzotints of Constable’s local landscape work including, Summer Evening and River Stour, Suffolk.
A few challenges were encountered, including a large boggy part of a field which some participants chose to bravely cross using a sinking log (I was not one!), and a herd of over-friendly cows (Andy’s hand was nearly licked to the bone).
The project team also learnt a new word - Mzungu! A Bantu term used to satirically refer to white people, and the “silly things they do”. Upon further reading, the word has a rich history and has been used to refer to foreign people since the 18th-century when Europeans came to explore, trade with and colonise East Africa (Ndlovu, 2022).
The meaning and direct translation of Mzungu is “wanderer” or “someone who roams around”, which seems fitting for this project. The term “aimless” is also often used in conjunction with these meanings, and when we are leading a group and go down the wrong path or miss a turning that is a valid representation of how we must look when we realise.
P.H.O.E.B.E joined us in their early stages of planning their new walking group Ambling African Women with AONB, which would provide a chance for the team and their groups to come together and explore different walks around Suffolk. The group recognises the power of walking, and the positive impact it can have on mental health.
“It is medicine”
“It’s calming, I think whether you grew up in it or not it’s calming, really nice, the thing is it’s free and accessible”
“We are taking this [experience] as part of our wellbeing, looking after ourself a bit”
The audio of the walk, which you can listen to and read the transcript of below, provides a snapshot into the openness and engaged nature of the group as we rambled together through the Suffolk countryside. With leaves brushing against our legs and a background soundscape of running water, birdsong and our footsteps, we learnt about them and their work to promote wellbeing and empower the local community.
The majority of the images in this blog post were taken by one of the participants Sadaf, who kindly sent them to us after the walk - they give a wonderful insight into the walk and its sights.
– Ndlovu, Sambulo (2022). ‘Naming and othering in Africa : imagining supremacy and inferiority through language’, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.