Lesson 16:
Review

Read the following passage in Swahili. Try to understand as much as you can without looking at the English translation and then check your understanding by reading the translation.

Kama ilivyo katika utamaduni wa nchi nyengine, watoto katika nchi za Afrika Mashariki hufundishwa kufanya usafi wakiwa wadogo. Watoto hufundishwa usafi wa mwili, nguo, chakula na mengineyo. Watoto hutakiwa kupiga mswaki mara mbili kwa siku. Hupiga mswaki baada ya kuamka na kabla ya kulala. Kwa kawaida watoto pia huoga mara mbili asubuhi na jioni. Watoto hutakiwa kuoga kwa sabuni.

Watoto hawaachiwi kuwa na nywele kubwa, haswa wavulana. Kuwa na nywele kubwa au ndefu kunaonekana kuwa sio usafi. Baadhi ya watoto hupelekwa kwa kinyozi na kukatwa nywele. Wazazi wengine huwakata watoto wao nywele wenyewe. Kama watoto ni wadogo, wazee huwakata kucha kwa kiwembe. Watoto hukatazwa kukata kucha kwa meno.

Watoto pia hufundishwa wakiwa wadogo kufua nguo zao wenyewe. Baada ya kufua nguo kwa kawaida watoto hufundishwa kupiga pasi. Katika sehemu nyingi za Afrika Mashariki hakuna mashine za kufulia.

Kawaida watoto wanawake hufundishwa kuosha vyombo na kufagia nyumba, na kufanya usafi wa jumla wa nyumba. Kawaida watoto wengi wanaume hawafanyi kazi hizi. Wao hufanya kazi za nje kama kuchunga mifugo, kuchanga kuni, kukata majani na nyenginezo.

Hygiene

Children in East Africa, just like in other countries’ cultures, are usually taught matters of hygiene when they’re still young. Children are taught personal hygiene, hygiene for clothes, for food, and so on. Children typically have to brush their teeth twice a day. They usually brush their teeth after getting up and before they go to bed. Typically children also take a bath twice in the morning and in the evening. Children have to take a bath with soap.

Children, especially boys, aren’t allowed to grow long hair. To grow long hair is considered to be unhygienic. Some children are taken to a barber to have their hair cut. Other parents cut their children’s hair themselves. If the children are small, parents clip their children’s fingernails with a razor. Children are usually strongly discouraged from biting their nails!

Children are also taught while they are small, to wash their clothes by themselves. After washing their clothes children are typically taught how to iron their clothes. Washing machines are not available in many places in East Africa.

Young girls are typically taught how to wash utensils, sweep the house, and do general household cleaning. Usually many boys do not do these household chores. They normally do outside work like rearing cattle, splitting wood, mowing, and so on.