"These Indians are dying like flies"

Before moving to Kenya part of me, a subconscious part of me that I’m not proud of, thought that sympathy for people in other countries was the luxury of the privileged. “Of course in the US we feel bad for poor people in poor countries who are dying of starvation and disease. We are so much better off than them and sympathize.” I sort of assumed without ever explicitly considering it that a lot of less privileged people are too worried about their own problems to think much of people suffering in other countries.

In February or March of 2021, a month or two after I moved to Nairobi, the delta variant was ravaging India. I was living in an apartment that was just 1km from my office (1), and often on my way home would stop at a fruit/vegetable stall.

The fruit/vegetable stand. 9 cent bananas, 45 cent large avocados. (Google Street View link)

One day I stopped to pick up some produce and had a short conversation with a guy, Josh, who ran a nearby street food kibanda (2). We had a short exchange while I was buying my mangoes and carrots.

Josh: “Have you seen about this delta?”

Me: “Yeah it’s bad.”

Josh: “Have you seen these Indians? They’re dying like flies. It’s terrible.”

It shouldn’t have been, but it was surprising to me that the Indian delta spike and resultant suffering would be top of mind for Josh. It certainly wasn’t taking up enough of my headspace that I would bring it up in a 30-second fruit-stall interaction.

Of course, anyone anywhere in the world feels bad for people dying of starvation and disease. We sympathize because we’re human.

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1. Even closer as the crow flies, but you know those Nairobi streets can be wily and winding

2. He was just kind of hanging out at the fruit/vegetable stand on break I guess