What Are They Thinking?

Recently our night guard, Oscar, had his home broken into (ironic, I know) and everything was stolen except for his family's clothes and shoes.  Everything.

In Tanzania, theft is common.   Anyone who can afford it puts some kind of fence or wall around their house and bars on the windows.  I would never leave my bike in town, even chained up, knowing it probably wouldn't be there when I came back.  Nor do I walk around town with my bag unzipped.  I don't walk around afraid I'll be stolen from, I just don't see a reason to not do what I can to prevent it.

The odd thing about theft being so common here is that the punishment for thieves is harsh.  Harsh is actually putting it lightly.  If a thief is caught, he is immediately mobbed by those around.  Hearing the mob, more people usually join in, making the mob larger and more uncontrollable.  The thief, if he is lucky, will only be beaten to within an inch of his life.  If he isn't lucky, he will not survive the beating, or worse, will be burned alive.  The police rarely arrive in time to prevent this from happening.  There is no sympathy.  I have been told stories of other missionaries who stepped in to prevent mobs from killing children, guilty of pick-pocketing.  Tanzanians do not typically step in to save someone, though I have known some to.

So why on earth would anyone continue to steal?  It's something I don't know if I will ever understand.

I've thought about why the reaction to theft is so harsh here, because other crimes are not so treated.  My conclusion is this:  Tanzania is a culture of giving.  If you need something, you ask and someone will help you.  Most people don't have enough money for everything all the time, so you help each other out. "I know that if I help pay for your children's school fees now, later you will help me pay for my son's wedding."  If people show up at your door, you feed them and give them a place to stay, indefinitely.  It's never ok to ask a guest to leave, they may stay as long as they desire.  So for someone to steal is a complete rejection of the way of life here.  It's as if they are saying, "I don't care about any of you.  I only care about myself.  I don't want to ask you for help because I don't want to be held responsible for helping you later."  Greed and selfishness are some of the worst traits you can possess.  If you have, you share.  If you don't have, you will be taken care of.

I don't know if I'm right, but it seems the most logical conclusion.

As for Oscar and his thief; the man was later caught.  It turns out he was part of a larger crime ring that had been stealing all over Geita district for some time.  When he was caught, he confessed and gave up his partners and their hideout.  Upon confessing, he was burned to death.  Soon after, police raided the house where the other thieves were, shot and killed them all, then burned their hideout to the ground (before removing all the stolen goods).

The whole thing makes me sad.  What makes these people take such a risk just for things?  And where is the mercy for their mistakes?