in america, we're all familiar with the term "PDA" or Public Display of Affection, the not-always-welcome moment when two folks are seen locked in some sort of embrace in a public forum.
well, i am here today to talk about something i've come across quite a bit these days while living in my village, and that is the "PDN," or Public Display of Nudity. the "PDN" is the awkward-to-me-but-not-so-awkward-for-them moment when i happen to not quite accidentally see someone nude or partially nude, right out there in public, for all the world (okay, maybe just a few people) to see.
i have many examples. my apologies to those malagasies that are reading this blog who feel that this is not an accurate portrayal of your natural-born propensity for bashfulness and modesty.
example one. my first few weeks at site, almost every morning i would look out my window only to see my neighbor squatting behind a couple sticks in her backyard, peeing or sometimes taking a bucket bath. i felt mortified to be even be looking in that general direction, trying to offer her some sort of semblance of privacy, however she seemed non-chalant and just kept on doing her thing. i kept wondering, "should i build a proper wall or partition of some kind for her to do her morning duties? does she care that her 'bathroom' is more or less wide open to my bedroom window?" what action to take stumped me for some time, and without any real language skills to make an inquiry, i was left somewhat bewildered and bemused. finally i just threw together a few large leaves on the fence in between her yard and mine, and hung up a curtain in my window. may she pee in peace.
example two. i often have morning coffee in a little shack run by a very strong, kind older woman who reminds me of my grandmother. she is always cooking or weaving baskets or selling vegetables. as she is never idle, sometimes the lamba that she wears loosly tied around her body comes free. we will be sitting talking, me sipping my coffee and eating some fried banana bread, when woops, down drops the top of her dress. no big deal. not seeming to care, she'll tie it up again, only for it to drop down again some other time. as a side, the women in my village are all very beautiful, and wear their lambas (brightly-colored cloth) tied around their bodies, often with no shirt or bra underneath. i think the physical environment helps to create a cultural norm where showing some skin is not so unusual.
example three. my community built a special bathhouse for my very own use, where one can't see through the sticks and leaves, and it even has a door (very unusual), gathered from someone's rusted-tin chickenhouse roof. most other bathhouses in the community are kind of like, "here, try a little of that." a few sticks, a few large leaves, and you're good to splash and bathe at will. and these bathhouses are not in some hidden, secluded location either. i'm talking about right in the middle of town. just strolling past sometimes... woopsie, hello. i'm embarrassed, they are not.
example four. i was walking to my house the other day, just coming from buying a few tomatoes. as i came around the bend in the sandy path, i came upon yet another neighbor, a male this time, completely naked standing in front of the doorway of his hut. having just come in from fishing, he was wet and changing out of his dripping clothes. yes, he did reach for some pants. but did he turn away? no. did he hurry to cover himself? no. did i not know what to do, which way to go, if i should say something? um, yes.
there are many other examples. i won't go on. these incidences do not occur in a lewd way, nor are the malagasy people in my village exhibitionists or weirdos. it seems more the nature of the place; everyone lives in front of each other here. the children are watched and cared for by all, your whereabouts and business are always known; you cook, sit, eat, work and live outside, on woven mats, in seaside shacks, amongst each other.
and part of that life, i guess, is not clothed, not hidden, seen.
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