I FIRST MET JOSEPH L. MBELE in 2015 at the International Festival Faribault. The author, cultural consultant and professor of English at St. Olaf College in Northfield was representing his native Tanzania during this fest celebrating the cultural diversity of my community. Then late last year I talked to Mbele again, when he was selling his latest book, Chickens in the Bus: More Thoughts on Cultural Differences, at a local holiday church bazaar. He is engaging, soft-spoken, knowledgeable and just an overall kind and gentle soul.
This Thursday evening, February 15, the writer and expert on cultural differences returns to Faribault for a literary event at Books on Central, a recently-opened used bookstore operated by the Rice County Area United Way. Mbele will share stories, offer cultural insights and lead an interactive discussion. The event begins at 6 pm at the bookshop, 227 Central Avenue North.
That he is appearing at a business along Faribault’s Central Avenue is meaningful in itself. Many Somali residents live in second floor apartments here in the heart of our downtown business district. Other of our newest immigrants have opened restaurants and shops along the avenue and side streets, making for a diverse downtown. But it was their presence here that stirred up complaints and controversy a few years back, and likely still does, although those are not as loudly vocalized as previously.
In Chickens in the Bus, Mbele terms this “the sidewalk issue.” Business owners expressed concerns about Somali men congregating outside, blocking sidewalks, scaring customers away, Mbele writes. His words are not new to me. I’d heard them, too, from business owners and from local residents. People were, they said, afraid to come downtown. I’ve never feared walking along Central Avenue past groups of Somali men. What people don’t understand, they all too often fear.
To Mbele’s credit, he has worked hard to inform, to enlighten, to listen, to help bridge cultural divides. He spoke to Faribault business owners. He spoke to members of the Somali community. He’s also spoken publicly at libraries and elsewhere. I appreciate his efforts.
At the core of “the sidewalk issue” are cultural differences, according to this native Tanzanian who specializes in teaching folklore at Northfield’s St. Olaf College. Somalians come from an oral culture, one that relies on social gatherings to share news, Mbele writes. “…Somali gatherings in downtown Faribault are the Somali newsstands,” he told local business owners and includes in his book. That’s so down-to-earth understandable.
Mbele’s slim volume, Chickens in the Bus, which I purchased at the November 2023 holiday market, is an excellent primer for anyone desiring to learn more about cultural differences. This author and cultural consultant highlights how those differences can both challenge communities, but also present opportunities in an ever-increasingly connected world that is decidedly global. He writes in a way that is peaceful and soothing and seeks to create harmony.
I learned a lot about “African Time” and “American Time,” about native-born Africans who do not view themselves as black or as “people of colour” (vs African Americans who do), about chickens in the bus, and much more. In Africa, Mbele writes, someone may carry a chicken onto a bus, a gift from a rural villager.
His newest book, a sequel to Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences, proved an easy and informative read, one that enlightened me about my newest neighbors. They enrich Faribault with their culture, bringing their food, language, dress, customs and more. I will never travel to Africa. So I am the richer for the Africans who now call southern Minnesota home, who bring their culture into my community, to me.
© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
If more people were as informed as you, the world would be a better place. Thank heavens people like your friend Mbele strive to inform those of us that know no different. Lovely article, Audrey. ❤
Thank you, Penny. I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned about other cultures.
Chickens on the Bus immediately brought me back to our eight years living in Guatemala. Chickens on the bus was a regular occurrence, as well as piglets on top of the bus. Once a piglet was being carried in a basket, tied shut, but he kept wiggling around and rolled himself and his basket off the bus. The driver stopped and the attendant got out, put the piglet back on the bus, and the bus proceeded. When we reached the destination, a young girl got off the bus, put the basket and pig on her head, and walked off down the road just as if all was normal.
Douglas, thank you for sharing this story from Guatemala. I learned something new this morning about pigs, plus the bonus of laughing (in a good way) at the pig rolling off the bus and then placed back in the basket set atop the young girl’s head. Stories connect us as humans.
Years ago, after the advent of he home computer, my wife volunteered me to transpose a “book” written by a friend on her trip to Guatemala. It was 50 plus pages. It was a good read. While we need books like this to inform us, I am quit amazed we do so little research on cultures before our very eyes. I found out a supervisor of a particular site of the company I worked for had a similar background that I did. It was that time of year, the next day was the occasion. I had to send him a fax. In it, I wished him a Happy Birthday. Keep in mind I was about as low as I could go on the corporate ladder. A fax came in from him the next day thanking me for acknowledging his birthday. I never saw that fax. Talk about a peon getting noticed! Directors and VPs were calling my boss wanting to know just how I knew it was this supervisor’s birthday! How did they miss such an event? 10 November is every Marine’s (active, inactive or retired) birthday. We Marines have our own culture ~ even though we also share those of others! Marine customs, which is sometimes copied, is a subset of other military and military organizations.
Gunny, thank you for informing me of Marine culture/customs. I always learn from you. You are right, we can see cultures before our very eyes if we only choose to look.
Very interesting! It’s so true that people fear what they don’t know. Thanks for sharing.
I’m happy to share!
you are so lucky to have him there, and for your Somali population. I think that we always learn the most from people who have had different experiences from us, they offer us a new perspective and the gift is priceless for so many reasons. I love the title of his book!
I, too, love the book title. You read that title and immediately want to dive into the book. And, yes, we can learn so much from people with different experiences than us.
Tim has met with Joseph Mbele years ago, when he was home for a visit from Mozambique. A gentle man.
I have a fun story about chickens to share with you sometime.
Thanks for informing us about our cultural differences. It’s good to learn.
Would love to hear your chicken story sometime. How wonderful that Tim met with Joseph Mbele.
Thank you, Audrey, for this wonderful commentary on my work.
You are welcome, Joseph. I wanted to get the word out about your talk last week in advance of it and also inform readers about your books.