Cultural Diveristy in Nursing: Analysis of The Film Mississippi Masala

The United States has one of the most demographically diverse population in the world, due to the immigration of so many groups of people. People from all over the world come to the “land of the free and home of the brave” for many reasons. Some of these reasons include persecution of religious beliefs, freedom of speech against the government, refugees, escaping wars or persecution, and individuals and families seeking opportunities looking for a better life for themselves and their families. Whatever the reason, many immigrants view America as a promise land with the possibility of a liberal society. This was the case for Meena and her family in the film Mississippi Marsala, whose major themes include migration to a new country and prejudices against the African American race.

Meena’s grandparents came to Uganda from India to work on the railways that were being built at the time in the country. After the railroad was completed, Meena’s grandfather stayed in Uganda and started a family. Meena’s father, Jay, was born and raised in Uganda, and later became a lawyer. Growing up in Uganda, Jay and Meena were exposed to people of darker skin color than themselves which did not bother them at all. Unfortunately, not all Africans felt the same way about color. Meena’s family faced constant prejudice while living in Uganda. There is a scene in the movie where Meena’s father is talking to his friend, Okelo, and he says “Africa is for Africans. Black Africans.” Shortly after that comment, Meena and her family immigrated to the United States where they joined relatives in Greenwood, Mississippi. Twenty years later, Meena and her family are still adjusting to life in the United States. Her family owns a successful business, but Meena’s father is still upset about the wrongs he suffered and is holding out hope to one day return his family to their homeland of Uganda. Although Jay and his family left Uganda twenty years ago, he still considers Uganda his home and has a hard time accepting the fact that he may never be able to return there. In the movie, Jay’s family makes fun of him for trying to sue the Uganda government for forcing him out of his home. His family members laugh at his pursuit of justice and tell him to move on.

Another issue that arises in the movie is, Meena dating local Mississippi native Demetrius Williams. Demetrius and Meena first meet when she accidently crashes into the back of Demetrius’ car. Later that night Demetrius and Meena see each other in the club and their romance begins. Knowing that her father still harbors an old grudge toward black-Africans from his misfortunes in Uganda, Meena keeps her relationship with Demetrius a secret. Their relationship explores the racial prejudice of Indians in Greenwood against African-Americans. These characters are affected in that they have to keep this romance a secret because of fear of disapproval.

There is a scene in the movie where Meena’s uncle speaks to Demetrius about the accident his niece caused. He is fearful that Demetrius will sue him, and he tries to persuade him not to sue. Once Demetrius assures him that he has no intentions to sue Meena or her family, the uncle tells Demetrius that “we minorities have to stick together”. Once Meena’s family finds out about her relationship with Demetrius they tell her she has brought shame to the family and she is forced to choose between her family and Demetrius.

Meena: [after Jay and Kinnu discover her and Demetrius's relationship] What about me? What about me? I've never asked you for anything! Never expected anything! I'm 24 years old, and I'm still here! Stuck here! You think I'm happy? I love him. That's not a crime, is it?

Kinnu: You call this love? When all you have done is bring such shame upon our heads?

Meena: I didn't do anything! They barged in!

Jay: Don't answer back! At least have the decency to be sorry!

Meena: I am sorry about this mess, but I'm not sorry I'm in love with him. 

Meena and her family are immigrants coming to a new country because they were forced out of their homeland. This relates to the content of the course in the sense that Meena and her family have moved to a new country and they are trying to adjust to their new life. Meena’s father is having a very difficult time adjusting to his new life in Mississippi, no matter how much he tries he can’t wrap his head around the idea that he may never see his native land Uganda again. He spends most of his life trying to right the injustice he and his family faced when they were forced out of their home, even going as far as suing the Uganda government for being forced to leave. Prejudice is another theme in the movie that relates to the course content, we see the struggles Demetrius and Meena face once their romantic relationship comes to light. Although there are many different cultures in the town Meena and Demetrius live in (Black, White, Indian) and they mix with each other on a daily basis (ex: Demetrius father working at the majority white member country club), mixing of races/cultures is something that is frowned up by many in the community. Inter-racial dating is frowned upon so much that Demetrius business starts to suffer. The people in his community no longer want to do business with him because he is dating Meena, an Indian girl.

The movie Mississippi Marsala affected me, by bringing to the forefront the constant prejudice black Americans face daily dealing with prejudice from other minority groups. We see in the movie that once Meena’s uncle realizes that Demetrius isn’t going to sue him for damages related to the accident she caused, he becomes very friendly and welcoming to Demetrius. Telling him we minorities must stick together and even offer to use his carpet cleaning service for his hotel. But once Demetrius and Meena relationship comes to light Demetrius no longer receives the warm welcome he had before. It’s always so frustrating to see black people being held in high regards when we’re scoring points on a scoreboard, starting our own businesses, but once we cross the color barrier and decide to pursue or date someone from a different race or background then blacks are no longer considered good enough.

I would recommend the movie Mississippi Marsala to nursing and college students. I feel like it gives the audience insight on specific stereotypes associated with certain races. The issues discussed in this film could affect patient care in the sense of a patient not wanting to receive Western medical treatment for their healthcare needs. For example, although Meena and her family migrated to the United States years ago from Uganda, her father never considered the United States his home, so most likely if he was to get sick and needed medical care, he would probably want to be treated with health traditions from Uganda. The issue of inter-racial dating might affect patient care because the healthcare provider may disagree with inter-racial dating causing them to not provide the best care to a sick patient.

Cultural competency is a recognized and popular approach to improving the provision of health care to racial/ethnic minority groups in the community with the aim of reducing racial/ethnic health disparities. In order to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, healthcare providers and/or healthcare institutions should implement practices that value diversity. Such practices would be respecting and accepting differences between and within cultures. We often presume that a common culture is shared between members of racial, linguistic, and religious groups, but that is not always the case. “Cultural differences in the manner in which information is conveyed to others may be reflected in the nature of information processing”. Understanding the dynamics of differences is another way intervention healthcare provider/healthcare institution can use for everyone to feel welcome. A culture or race that has been mistreated for years from another race may feel mistrust towards that particular race. Institutions and healthcare providers planning to interact with varying cultures need awareness of such a dynamic if they want to be effective.

As health care professionals we ought to always provide culturally competent care. We take care of people from various backgrounds and ethnic groups and we ought to assess these patients thoroughly before we attempt to implement care strategies. Care must always be patient- centered and we should strive to meet every need of the patients, regardless of the limiting factors being presented. “Researchers emphasize the need for cultural competence in health care to address health disparities and to ensure equitable services” (Kersey-Matusiak, 2013). It is often said that people will forget what you said, and what you did, but they will not forget how you made them feel. We ought to make people of every color, creed and continent feel loved and appreciated. Not only are we agents of care, but we are also agents of care, advocating for the needs of whomever comes under our care. Health care providers are privileged to be in the position which they are, and we ought to protect these vulnerable patients.

References

• Ishii, K. (2013). Culture and the mode of thought: A review. Asian Journal Of Social Psychology, 16(2), 123-132. doi:10.1111/ajsp.12011
• Kersey-Matusiak, G. (2013). Delivering culturally competent nursing care. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
• Nair, M. (1991). Mississippi Masala [Film].